Rum is a member of the spirits family, and ranks third worldwide – after whisky and brandy (a generic term for wine spirits) – in terms of volume and sales. Its uniqueness is based on its origin, sugarcane, and the particular aromatic notes that characterize it.
It is produced in two different ways, depending on the origin of the raw material. From pure sugarcane juice, we speak of "rhum agricole", an appellation reserved exclusively for the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion and Guyana.
Otherwise, it's a by-product of the cane sugar industry, molasses, which gives rise to traditional or industrial rum.
This fact sheet looks at this particularly attractive sector, with its long and eventful history, which was also tragically marked by slavery, definitively abolished in 1842
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