Expert: Paul Wagner - 7/28/2004

Question
white rum is made from?

Answer
Dear Sunil:

White Rum is a relatively simple process.  Begin with sugar cane, and ferment the sugar cane juice to create the distillate base.  ( This is basically the same for all alcoholic beverages--you need sugar and yeast, and when you combine them, the yeast eats the sugar and produces alcohol as a by-product.)  

Once you have the alcoholic base, you then distill it by heating to about 190 degrees.  At that temperature, alcohol will evaporate, but water will not--and when you cool the evaporating steam, you get something that is about 96% alcohol and completely colorless. Water is added to this so that the final alcohol is about6 100 proof, or 50%.  

To make dark rum, you add coloring, to make it darker.  

Paul Wagner