Sugar in Rum

Sugar in Rum

The sugar in rum is a thorny problem of rum composition.

In 2014, after years of underground discussions, an unexpectedly vitriolic polemics burst online about the real amount of sugar added to most of the mainstream rums (even above 50 g/l) when the results of homemade analyses performed by aficionados were spread on Reddit and on other thematic forums. Soon after, the web sites of Alko, the Finnish alcoholic beverage monopoly, and of Systembolaget, the equivalent Swedish monopoly, recorded a sudden spike of international views on the pages listing the results of the mandatory chemical analyses performed on the bottles sold on the local markets. Internet users realized that these professional analyses clearly reported the real compositions of rums (and other alcoholic beverages), including the sugar content, among which were the most mainstream producers such as El Dorado, Zacapa, Don Papa, Angostura, Plantation, Matusalem, Bacardi, and many others. This discovery fueled enormously the polemic, and the quarrel among the supporters of sugared and non-sugared rums deflagrated into a proper technical dispute. Many accused producers of fraud and sophistication for bottles showing such a level of ‘additives’ (between sugar, caramel, colorants, and other stuff) that made it difficult to distinctively mark the difference between ‘real rums’ and the deplored ‘spiced rums’ (that is, the rum-based beverages that involve by label the addition of artificial aromas, honey, and sugar).

Initially, producers claimed that those were utterly false allegations and defended their products followed by a variety of tailored communicative strategies, ranging from the respect of old recipes up to imaginative justifications about the peculiar kind of sugar cane they use, or the style of cask aging implemented that would raise the sugar content. Eventually, they agreed to collectively defend a position based on the personal taste of drinkers: if consumers liked the smooth, sugared, taste of their products, why should they to change it? In May 2014, Alexander Gabriel, master blender of Plantation rum (as well as of cognac and gin), presented a strong defense of the use of sugar in rum, claiming that sugar is an essential element for personalizing the style of these spirits in a similar vein to the fundamental dosage technique of various Champagnes. Simply put, Gabriel maintained that premium rum was a type of spirit fundamentally characterized by the vast differences in distilling and bottling styles, and that the only mandate for producers had to be the personal choice of drinkers. A few weeks later, Richard Seale, pot still rum’s legend and Foursquare’s owner (the most important distillery in Barbados), published an extensive article openly denunciating the sugar affair. He pointed out that sugar addition was the most embarrassing problem in the rum industry, so massive that it de facto was hampering rum to be technically considered a quality spirit like whisky and cognac (which had already faced, and sorted out, their issues with added sugar long time ago). In Seale’s opinion, adding sugar was not a matter of personal tastes, but a technical one: it was necessary to impose a clear regulations and limits to this practice to safeguard the identity of rum. Seale stated that the absence of rules was delegitimizing rum’s critical appraisal, as there was no clarity about the essential nature of the rums submitted for critical reviews. According to Seale, to rely on the websites of external agencies was nonsensical: a whole novel approach based on clarity and strictness was necessary to give a solid and faultless productive statute to quality rum. In fact, Seale was referring to a much thornier issue: if it is true that the world of rums is fascinating for the many possible styles, can we seriously consider within the same category a pot still rum and a column still rum, or a pure cane juice rum and a molasses rum? By stressing this distinction, Seale identified a much more important problem than the simple addition of sugar, a problem so massive that no one in the industry wanted to face in the fear of opening a can of worms, amidst endless legislative discussions and a dangerous mediatic uproar that would simply confuse the market.

The sugar polemics kept growing over the years. It split the rum aficionados between the lovers of smooth taste and the supporters of rum authenticity, but in doing so it clouded the much more important distinction between pot still and column still rum. True, just like whisky, the rum market has been drastically evolving over the past few years following the booming trend of craft breweries and distilleries, which of course ended up advantaging those producers who had been more attentive and interested in preserving artisanal and traditional techniques. Yet, the mainstream producers did not waste any time and immediately jumped across the pond of the new trend either by reworking their marketing strategies or by craftwashing their offerings through acquisitions and expansions. Eventually, in 2021 there was a turning point on the European Market that influenced the whole sector: the European Union decided to set a sugar cap level for rum final composition. The new limit became 20 g/l (previously it was 100 g/l, a limit considered useless as it was near the sugar content of a Coca Cola), while above that value the alcoholic beverage had to be labeled as “Spirit Drink.” Over the past year, all producers had to adapt their bottles to the new legislation, but such a change did not have the anticipated impact on the market. Indeed, all new rums now offer lower sugar levels capped at 20 g/l, but the change was mostly impossible to detect for the common drinker. Only a few producers, like Angostura, decided to substantially modify their rums: for instance, the 1787 moved from 30 g/l to almost zero. Others, like in the case of Dictador 12 and Diplomatico Mantuano, decided to raise sugar content to 20 g/l, probably to reposition the products in the new ranges.

It is difficult to assert if there has been an effective change in the quality of the spirits, as only a rigorous chemical analysis will allow evaluation of the new thresholds. There was no push for higher clarity on the bottle labels nor for a serious discussion about what would technically distinguish the nature of a rum style. Aficionados must still rely on external institutions to know the sugar content of the new bottles. If, on the one hand, the niche of artisanal productions have been substantially growing during these years (and of this trend Seale’s Foursquare certainly took advantage, along with many other pot still brands), on the other hand, mainstream rums of smooth and “assembled” taste did not suffer from any market loss, thanks to the strong global presence of their brands. Overall, it can be said that a whole new positive season came to fruition for rums’ sales: the market trends suggest a 40% growth of the whole sector over the next five years. The availability of rums on international markets has been constantly growing, and there will be opportunities for all producers. Above all, rums can still offer a quite virtuous quality-price ratio, if compared to the speculations over the whisky’s and cognac’s markets. Yet, it remains to be seen how the current international difficulties will impact on prices. In the meantime, the best advice is to explore the various souls of this amazing spirit to find one’s favorite bottle, especially as long as the favorable moment gives the possibility to buy amazing bottles at what is basically a bargain price.