Rhum is just the French spelling of rum, but it usually signals a spirit made from sugar cane with real character and a strong sense of place. This collection covers the whole family, bright unaged whites built for mixing alongside deep, barrel-aged bottles made for slow sipping.
Rhum agricole and molasses rum: two families to know
The big divide is what goes into the still. Rhum agricole, the pride of Martinique and Guadeloupe, is distilled from fresh-pressed cane juice, which gives it a grassy, floral, slightly peppery edge that tastes of the plant itself. Martinique even has its own AOC, like a wine appellation, with rules on cane and ageing. Everything else starts from molasses, the syrup left after refining sugar. Spanish-style ron, from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, tends to be lighter and rounder, while English-style rum from Jamaica, Barbados and Guyana is fuller and often pot-distilled, with the funky intensity Jamaicans call hogo.
White for mixing, aged for sipping, and the sugar question
Unaged white rhum is sharp and lively, the backbone of a daiquiri, a mojito or a Martinican ti' punch. Time in oak changes everything: expect VO at around three years, VSOP at four or more, and XO or añejo for the oldest bottles, layered with vanilla, spice and dried fruit. It is also worth knowing the sugar debate. Barbados, Jamaica and Martinique ban added sugar, while some producers dose their rum after distillation for a softer, sweeter finish. Compare styles across our wider spirits range.
Rhum and rum FAQ
Is rhum agricole different from ordinary rum?
Yes. Agricole is distilled from fresh cane juice, not molasses, so it is drier and more herbal, with a green, cane-field freshness. Most other rum starts as molasses and tastes sweeter and rounder.
Which rum should I sip and which should I mix?
Reach for white and lighter gold rums in cocktails, where their brightness shines. Save aged XO and añejo bottles for sipping neat or over one large cube, the way you would a good whisky.
What does added sugar do to rum?
A little dosage rounds the spirit and makes it taste sweeter and smoother. Purists prefer their cane spirit dry, so for real intensity look to Jamaica, Barbados or a Martinique agricole. Find more in our spirits selection.