Beyond Pirates and Sailors: A Dark and Stormy Story of Rum

I missed World Rum Day back in July – life (or rather work) got in the way, as it sometimes tends to do.

But I’m sitting here now sipping a proper glass of the good stuff, from my hometown. The fact that The Salford Rum Company’s address is The Dirty Old Town Distillery (I used to sing "Dirty Old Town" with my dad, whenever we'd had too much rum!) was one of my reasons for buying in it the first place, but I’m very glad I did.

It’s lovely.

According to their marketing department “Just like the rums unloaded into Salford docks during its heyday, Dark Spice blends specially selected Caribbean rums that have been matured for up to 8 years in ex-Bourbon, American white oak casks. We have combined these pot and column distilled rums from Barbados with a distinct spice blend of vanilla, coconut, burnt caramel and cloves, to deliver this exceptional Salford Dark Spice rum.” 

As I’ve never actually written about rum, despite it being my personal spirit of choice, I thought I’d rectify the situation.

Better late than never, eh?

So brace yourself for the dark and stormy story of rum, complete with a few industry developments that have happened since I should have written this piece months ago.

Ancient Roots

The history of rum begins with sugar cane, first harvested in Papua New Guinea around 4000 BC. In 325 BC, Alexander the Great recorded in his diary discovering "a plant that brings forth honey, without the assistance of bees."

By the 11th century, traders had introduced sugar from India and Egypt to Europe, establishing sugar cane plantations in Sicily, Cyprus, Spain, and Portugal. As the Portuguese empire expanded in the 1400s, they carried sugar cane to their colonies - Cape Verde, the Canaries, the Azores - and eventually to the Caribbean.

This is where the story takes its darkest turn.

The Caribbean and the Shadow of Slavery

Sugar cane arrived in Hispaniola (modern-day Dominican Republic and Haiti) in 1493. By the 16th century, enslaved people worked its fields and produced alcoholic drinks from its juices. Spanish Dominican Friar Bartolomé de Las Casas documented the horrific conditions in his 16th-century account: "Once they [enslaved people] were sent to the mills, they die like flies from the hard labour they were made to endure and the beverages they drink made from the sugarcane."

While this sugarcane drink wasn't yet rum as we know it, distillation evidence appears by the late 16th century. The spirit wasn't called "rum" until 1647, when a visitor to Barbados wrote: "The chief fuddling they make in the Island is Rumbullion, alias Kill-Devil, and this is made of sugar cane distilled, a hot, hellish and terrible liquor."

The origin of the name "rum" remains debated - possibly from "rumbullion" meaning "great tumult," or from the Latin Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane). 

What's certain is that first written record from 1647.

From Waste to Wealth

As Caribbean sugar production increased, finding uses for surplus molasses became essential. Initially considered waste, molasses was often discarded or used as animal feed. Enterprising distillers saw opportunity: rum proved easily transportable, resistant to spoilage, and longer-lasting than molasses - ideal qualities for trade.

Rum quickly became currency in the horrific triangular trade: rum traded for enslaved people in Africa, who laboured on Caribbean plantations to produce sugar, which was shipped to the Americas to make more rum. This cycle continued until slavery's gradual abolition throughout the 19th century.

Sailors, Pirates, and Proof

With rum readily available, it became payment for the working class - especially sailors. British sailors received a pint of Jamaican rum daily (continuing until 1970), though this was later halved due to the "rumbullion" it caused: drunken fights and excessive inebriation were common.

To ensure their rum wasn't watered down, sailors mixed it with gunpowder and set it alight. If it burned, that was "proof" of proper strength (at least 57% ABV). This is why we still use "proof" for spirit strength and why "Navy Strength" rums must be at least 57% ABV.

Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon eventually ordered sailors to mix their rum with lime juice and sugar (to help prevent scurvy) - creating "grog," one of rum's first recorded cocktail adaptations.

Prohibition and the Cocktail Revolution

American Prohibition sparked the cocktail era, with rum at its centre. Home-brewed rums were often foul-tasting and needed masking to become drinkable. Rum-runners like the legendary Bill McCoy (origin of "the real McCoy") smuggled high-quality Caribbean rum into the United States using fast boats under cover of darkness.

Flips, sours, and punches flourished until Prohibition ended. Caribbean influences led to tiki bars developing the rum cocktails we still love today: Piña Coladas, Mojitos, and Daiquiris to name but a few.

How Rum is Made

Rum production begins with sugarcane juice or molasses, fermented with yeast to convert the sugars into alcohol. The resulting wash is then distilled to create clear rum, which may then be aged in oak barrels. Ageing - from months to decades - develops complex flavours as the spirit interacts with the wood.

Rum Around the World

While rum is synonymous with the Caribbean, distinctive styles exist globally:

Caribbean Rum: Each island has unique traditions - Jamaica's robust flavours, Cuba's smooth refinement, Barbados's exceptional quality.

Latin American Rum: Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala produce premium rums, with Venezuelan varieties particularly celebrated for rich, full-bodied character.

English Rum: Demerara rum (from modern-day Guyana) offers dark, rich flavours with toffee and molasses hints. Pusser's Rum from the British Virgin Islands remains a personal favourite.

French Rum: Martinique and Guadeloupe produce rhum agricole from fresh sugarcane juice, characterised by grassy, vegetal notes.

Spanish Rum: Puerto Rico creates light, versatile rums whilst Dominican varieties are known for smoothness and balance.

Recent Global Expansion: India, Vietnam, and the Philippines have experienced a rum renaissance, with many local products receiving critical acclaim. After a two-century break, American rum is experiencing a revival as distillers return to the spirit that was part of the early North American economy.

Cocktails That Actually Taste Good

There's something about rum that just works in cocktails. Maybe it's the Caribbean sunshine, maybe it's centuries of pirates knowing a good thing when they taste it, but rum has this knack of making everything better. 

Recent surveys show 37% of Americans reach for rum cocktails when they're on holiday.

The drinks industry has been getting creative lately too, with spiced rum at its forefront. Bacardi launched their Caribbean Spiced in 2024 - rum infused with pineapple, coconut, and spices - because apparently regular rum wasn't tropical enough already.

The Modern Rum Renaissance (2023-2025)

The rum industry has experienced remarkable growth through 2024-2025. The global rum market was valued at approximately $18.47 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.3-5.5% through to 2030, potentially reaching $27.93 billion.

In the UK, rum sales surpassed £1.1 billion in 2023, outpacing whisky for market share, for the first time. Take that, Scotland.

What's Actually Happening Right Now

The numbers tell quite a story. Dark and golden rums now make up nearly half of all rum sales globally - turns out we’ve developed a taste for the good stuff. Meanwhile, spiced rum has become an £8 billion industry that's growing faster than a sailor's thirst after an Atlantic crossing.

The ready-to-drink market is absolutely booming, with RTD volumes set to grow 12% between 2022 and 2027. Everyone from PepsiCo to Coca-Cola is getting in on the action, launching canned rum cocktails.

The Asia-Pacific area has quietly become rum's biggest market, accounting for nearly 40% of global sales, with China and India developing quite the taste for premium spirits. 

For eight years running, Filipino brand Tanduay has been the world's best-selling rum (almost a quarter of a billion litres in 2024). Not Captain Morgan, not Bacardi - Tanduay.

Tesco are the only UK supermarket that sells it, so I don’t think we’re contributing too much to that total!

Women are discovering rum faster than any other demographic, with female consumption growing at over 4% annually. The old stereotype of rum being a “lad's” drink is clearly just that - rum is having a moment with everyone, everywhere.

Sustainability Leadership

In 2024, the rum industry doubled down on sustainability, recognising its vital role in meeting consumer expectations. Brands like Copalli Rum and Flor de Caña led sustainability efforts, with Flor de Caña certified as both carbon-neutral and Fair Trade, using 100% renewable energy generated from biomass while capturing all CO2 emissions produced during fermentation.

Producers are adopting sustainable sugarcane practices through platforms like Bonsucro (The global platform for sustainable sugarcane), energy-efficient distillation, and social responsibility initiatives, focusing on quantifying, reducing, and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from manufacture to final disposal.

Raising a Glass (And Coming Full Circle)

From Alexander the Great's "honey without bees" to today's multi billion-pound industry, rum has certainly come a long way. What started as a happy accident with leftover molasses has become the second most popular spirit in the world, with everyone from Chinese millennials to British pub-goers raising their glasses.

The history of rum is a proper saga of exploration, exploitation, innovation, and ultimately, celebration. It's survived slavery, prohibition, pirates, and even naval regulations. Today's rum industry stands balanced between honouring those complex origins whilst building something more sustainable and inclusive.

As we, (or me at least) belatedly, celebrate World Rum Day (and tip our hats to Mount Gay distillery in Barbados, which was founded in 1703 - that's 322 years of deliciousness), it's worth remembering what that Spanish visitor wrote about "Rumbullion" back in 1647: "a hot, hellish and terrible liquor."

Well, we've certainly improved the recipe since then. My Salford Dark Spice tastes nothing like "hot, hellish and terrible" - though after a few glasses, I might still end up singing "Dirty Old Town" with reckless abandon.

So here's to rum - the spirit that brought the world together, one questionable karaoke decision at a time. Whether you're sipping a premium aged dark rum or knocking back something that would make those 17th-century sailors proud, you're part of a story that's been centuries in the making.

Stay safe, be kind to each other, and remember: life's too short for bad rum.