What’s in a name? Apparently when it comes to certain rum brands, not much. According to an alcohol industry worker named Trevor (@everythingboozie), who we’ve covered in the past for his reviews of tequila and vodka, there are a slew of brands that claim their product is rum, despite not actually being so.
Trevor posted a quick explainer explaining the difference between real rum and these other alcoholic offerings.
@everythingboozie Heres the 101 on RUM #everythingboozie #fyp #rum ♬ original sound – EVERYTHINGBOOZIE
He begins: “If you want to know about rum, here’s some stuff that you need to know.”
He starts off by stating that although there are tons of different brands to choose from, a lot of these beverages aren’t actually the product they claim to be.
“Rum is kind of a strange category to talk about. That’s mostly because there’s a lot of things that … fall under the umbrella term of rum, but still there’s not a whole lot of options to choose from in the conventional consumer market. Don’t get me wrong there are tons of brands of rum, however, the stuff that’s actually really good rum is kinda hard to get.”
Trevor continues, while filming from a liquor store: “So the kind of loose definition of rum is an alcohol that is distilled from sugar cane. However that’s kind of a very loose generalization. Majority of like real authentic rums are actually made with molasses and not like pressed sugar cane. And a lot of things that call themselves rum aren’t really, like there’s some things that are ‘rum’ but they have less alcohol content than like some liqeurs do.”
Trevor says that if you’re planning on consuming this particular spirit, it’s worth it to spend a little extra money on the high end stuff. “My rule of thumb is stick to something that looks like real rum. And kind of hang around the top shelf region of rum. It’s worth it to spend the extra money. Certain things aren’t really rum, they’re more of a liquor. Some rums are designed to be sipped on … like this guy or those guys over there,” he says, while pointing at the top portion of the store’s shelves.
He also points to the lower shelves, including brands like Malibu, saying, “They’re more of a liqueur,” and “are made to be sipped on or put into a cocktail like an old fashioned where the spirit is the main focus.”
He also goes on to state that just because a drink is sweet doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. “Even really high end rums can still be very very sweet and that’s okay the, that’s kind of the point, rums are made from sugar cane and molasses like I said so therefore they’re gonna be typically a more sweet spirit than like a whiskey or a vodka or a gin or something like that.”
Many viewers who saw Trevor’s clip quipped that after broadening their horizons, it was difficult for them to go back to lower tier brands.
“Jamaican rum literally ruined drinking for me,” they wrote.
“Not you bashing my malibu,” said another.
Others asked for the industry insider to review other popular brands.
“What are your thoughts about Captain Morgan’s?” asked one person.
“What about Wray and Nephew?” wrote another.
One person wanted Trevor do a video in which he talked viewers through how to fill their home bars.
“You should do a build-a-bar cart series! stuff you’d recommend for what basics people need and which ones you’d recommend to keep in your home bar,” they requested.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Trevor via TikTok comment and Malibu Rum via email for further information.
