The alcohol content of the rum
The alcohol content of the rum minimum is established in the European Union at 37,5% vol. This means that a liter of rum must be composed - according to European legislation - for the 37,5 percent alcohol, percentage measured at a temperature of 20 ° C. This alcohol content is slightly lower than the degrees that rums on the market normally have, which is around 40% vol.
The concept of the minimum alcohol content of rum it is however very variable because there are infinite versions of this distillate, characterized by different geographical origins, types of production, aging methods.
It must be said that the rum with high alcohol content is not necessarily better of a rum with lower degrees, but a lot depends on the country of origin and how it is drunk by the local population: Cuban rum, for example, is a very round rum, which has a great drinkability and an average alcohol content (around 40% vol. .) and is ideal to be consumed at different times of the day, unlike Jamaican rum, usually with a higher alcohol content, used almost exclusively in typical island cocktails.
There are various regulations at the local level governing the alcohol content of the rum, establishing the minimum allowed values. Below are the countries of origin and the alcoholic strengths of the rums most sold in Europe.
Rum grades - reduction
As can be seen from the table that summarizes the major brands on the market, the grades of commercial rum they are around 40% Vol. with oscillations around 5 degrees more or less. Actually after distillation, the rum has a much higher alcohol content than the grades of rum normally on the market, just think that there are rums for sale that reach 75 degrees and more.
The reduction of rum degrees it is usually done with distilled water. In the event that the degrees of rum are the same as those present at distillation and subsequent aging, we will speak of a barrel proof rum, that is, barrel grade. After years in which the rum grades were around 40% vol., To make the distillate more easily accessible to a very wide audience, recently niche rums are emerging - for true connoisseurs - which are bottled without being diluted . For purists, the undiluted distillate contains the true soul of rum, maintaining the fuller olfactory and tasting notes.
Rum with many grades - The overproof rum
Rum with many grades (therefore above 40-50% vol.) Is defined as overproof rum. The origins of this name come from the English proof (proof) and it is the test to which the brandies used to pay the sailors in the 100th century are subjected. The test consisted in wetting gunpowder with brandy: if this compound could not be ignited it meant that it was too watered and therefore underproof, if it burned it was defined as overproof and therefore greater than 57,15 degrees proof which in the United Kingdom corresponded to XNUMX, XNUMX% vol.
Originally the term was also used in labels to determine the gradation of spirits. Currently, the use of the term proof is accompanied - exclusively in the United States - to the volumetric strength and the US proof corresponds to double the European alcohol volume and therefore 80 proof corresponds to 40% vol. and 100 proof at 50% vol. In general, however, they are defined Overproof rums with an alcohol content higher than 57,5% vol., the most popular are the Jamaican overproof rums, usually used in cocktails.
Where to buy overproof rum
The overproof rum commonly found on the market is Jamaican and is ideal for the composition of very alcoholic cocktails such as lo zombie which in its original recipe also requires 4,5 cl. of Jamaican dark rum. There are various web shops where you can buy Overproof Rum, but we recommend that you do it on Amazon. Fast shipping, guaranteed and above all you will never risk losing your money. Payments are always insured and if you do register with Amazon Prime, you can receive the Indian rum at the best price on the web and especially without unnecessary shipping costs.
