THAT’S THE SPIRIT

RUM BY MICHAEL PRAMIK

Crafted from sugar cane or molasses, rum is a simple yet complex spirit. It can be the crystal-clear base of classic umbrella drinks, such as pina coladas or mai tais. But when left to age, it can offer complex notes like that of bourbon.

Echo Spirits Distilling Co. in Columbus has embraced rum with a robust line that includes a newly released spiced rum that cofounder Joe Bidinger describes as “approachable but elevated.”

Like other nouveau distilleries, Echo Spirits needed to quickly create a spirit to sell while its barrel-aged spirits were maturing. For Echo Spirits, that was rum, rather than vodka, gin, or unaged whiskey. Bidinger said he and cofounder Nikhil Sharoff came to really like rum, and it now has the best-selling, Ohio-made white rum.

“We didn’t intentionally set out to be ‘the rum guys,’ but we’re finding out that we’re pretty good at it, so we’re embracing that,” said Bidinger, who established Echo Spirits in 2019 with Sharoff, his former classmate at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus. “We take all our products very seriously.”

Most rums are made from molasses, but Echo Spirits makes its rums from panela, unrefined whole cane sugar. Thus, it contains the best qualities of both molasses and cane sugar, Bidinger says.

Echo Spirits produces white rum, pineapple rum, and Queen’s Share Rum, which spends at least 18 months aging in bourbon barrels. As part of its limited Copper Label Series, Echo also produced Cherrysmoke Rum, which is white rum that has been aged in a used bourbon barrel for two years, then infused with charred cherry chips. It also recently introduced its first batch of spiced rum.

The distillery ferments panela and water using a Caribbeanharvested yeast for five days before distillation begins. Bidinger said he and Sharoff look for the most flavorful cuts, rather than trying to produce a rum with mostly neutral qualities. “We want our rum to be bold and rich,” Bidinger said.

Rum is made from sugar cane or derivatives of sugar cane. While the spirit conjures up breezy images of Caribbean nations such as Jamaica and Barbados for many people, rum is produced in dozens of countries around the world.

The styles of rum depend on things like ingredients, aging processes, fermentation, distillation, and how the spirits are blended. Bidinger said there aren’t strict classifications of rum in the United States as there are in other countries.

WHAT’S IN A RUM BOTTLE

HERE’S A KEY TO FINDING THE PERFECT RUM

White Rum

This is the basic, aged variety of rum many people are familiar with as a key ingredient in daiquiris, pina coladas, and rum punch. Many white rums are aged in former whiskey barrels for about a year then run through charcoal filters to remove color.

Dark/Golden Rum

When the rum distillate is aged in charred oak barrels, it takes on more flavor notes and becomes dark in color. Rums aged longer become “dark,” while those aged for a shorter period often are called “golden.” Additives, such as molasses and caramel coloring, also can darken rums.

Rhum Agricole

This rum is made of sugarcane juice and is made almost exclusively in the French Caribbean islands.

Navy Rum

This is an overproof rum (more than 100 proof), similar to “Navy-strength” gin, designed to hearken to rums carried aboard ships in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Black Rum

Darker rums are typically used in mixed drinks. They gain their very dark hues not necessarily from more aging, but usually from the addition of molasses, caramel, or both.

Spiced Rum

Infusing dark rum with botanicals and spices leads to, not surprisingly, spiced rum. Many spiced rums yield an alluring array of baking spice, vanilla, and dried fruit notes.

Aged Rums

These premium spirits can typically spend a lot of time in the barrel and are designed for sipping neat. They can gain their distinct characteristics from the type of barrel, such as heavily charred bourbon barrels, as well as the craftsmanship of the distiller.