There is no better feeling than home.

It is the waft of the salty sea air that conjures the nose to flare up and tingle and awaken the mind then the body. It is the sweltering sun that beats against the skin, offering warmth whilst the cool sea breeze offers respite, soothing the soul. It is the vibrant exotic colours, bouncing of each other that mesmerises and catches the gaze of a wandering eye. It is the luminous sea water, that beckons the body to delve in and be consumed, emerging victorious and refreshed. It is the intoxicating smell as the lid pops open and the chilled sweating glass that tugs at your heart fuelling the passion within…..

… Fancy a Mojito, Pina Colada maybe a Mai Tai by any chance to cool the gullet, or feel like being adventurous possibly and experimenting with a Zombie or maybe you want to down it straight to warm the throat or mix with a choice of coke, water or coconut water…..

However you want it, it’s Rum and it’s more than just a tipple but a lifestyle and a heritage of the Antilles region.

Alongside their well known brand names, the most famous spirits in the world carry a heritage and an identity. The largest country in the world gave us Vodka, the Scottish Highlands gave us Whisky, the chalky French soil gave us Brandy or to the finer tastes, Cognac and the vineyards of Europe gave us Wine. Not to be sidelined a Cuban immigrant gave the world its frist clear Rum, Bacardi.

A precursor to the sugar trade it might have originated in the skulduggery world of piracy, in the invasion of Jamaica by the British Royal Navy and might have been likened to those that shared  kindred spirits with Captain Jack Sparrow. However besides its shadowy past and associations, it is the first branded spirit, distilling longer than the aforementioned and in its wake producing a finer spirit than no other, a true testament of its rich and wealthy culture.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES FROM RUM FEST UK 2012

Little is known of the origins of the word rum and many amongst them the Latin, French, Spanish and Dutch languages have laid claim to it. Despite the unknown origin, its history is deep rooted in what historians have named as the Trade Triangle that played a big part in shaping the world of people of black and mixed heritage and contributed at the time to a third of Europe’s entire economy.

The production of Rum as we recognize it today first occurred on the Caribbean sugar plantations in the early 17th century. As a by product of converting sugar cane into sugar, molasses and cane juice were produced. During the time islanders started fermenting these products in metal coal pots thus producing sugar cane beer or grog as it was known. Slave owners soon got hands on this potion and demand rose across the seas and onboard ships where it was discovered that it helped cure scurvy.

It was in 1800 that the Spanish Royal Development set out to refine rum in its dark and heavy state and appealed for anyone to improve its taste. In 1830, a Spanish wine merchant by the name of Don Facundo Bacardí Massó set out to improve the appearance and taste of rum and thus the first white Rum was produced.

The quality and style of rum is affected by the source of the sugarcane and the length it takes to ferment. Rum is made by distilling fermented sugar and water, picking up its flavour from the barrel and heat and normally ageing twice as fast as Whisky or Cognac. Its colour is often is filtered using charcoal and the process of ageing often begins in a barrel giving rum its distinctive, smooth quality. The final process occurs when rum is blended with water before being reduced to bottle strength. Rum is broken into different classifications such as light, dark, spiced, gold and over proof. However it is the single cask rums that are the most sought after in the world, revered for their taste, distillery and year.

The Caribbean can lay claim to the first white rum, Bacardi, the most expensive rum, Legacy by Angostura valued at $25,000 a bottle, and some of the oldest rum, Appleton Estate 50 Year Old Jamaica Rum and Mount Gay 1703, but unlike its predecessors who have so claimed the spirit drinks market, Rum has played a silent role, adding a kick to mixers and cocktails and steadily gaining momentum in the drinks world. The future looks bright for the matriarch of all drink spirits and a good old shot of dark rum served straight on the rocks with a Cuban cigar on the side, could not go amiss and can be counted amongst the world’s greatest personal divine pleasures.

…an’ we drinkin’ rum, rum, rum, rum…