Rum is an emotional liquor. Not that it cries watching 90’s rom coms,

but drinkers tend to fondly remember bottles like Captain Morgan and Bacardi from their early imbibing days, and know little else about it.

The reason it’s popular amongst young boozers is ingredients. Originating in the Caribbean, rum is most commonly distilled from sugarcane or molasses, which creates the sweet taste it’s known for. It’s not coincidence that it goes well with sugary drinks (pina colada, coke, anything sold in a gas station fridge at 1:00AM) — it’s an identical flavor match.

A side effect of the sweetness is that drinkers, most notably Americans, grow out of it. They start looking for balanced cocktails, searching out more complex flavors than ‘sugar’, and rum is forgotten. For many, it’s simply remembered as their starter booze, their first love before they grew up. Which is sad, because there are a lot of fantastic, complex rums that are a delight for any experienced drinker.