aging rum

[rob_45ca]

Can anyone tell me why Canada has the law you must age rum for one year in wood before it can be sold

[Ed Hamilton]

Puerto Rico enacted a similar law after World War II, the Mature Spirits Act, requiring all spirits to be aged at least one year before they were bottled to improve the quality of spirits. In the case of Puerto Rico, the rum industry was seen as a way to greatly increase revenue through exports. Federal Excise taxes collected on rum imported from Puerto Rico was returned to the island, the legislators realized that by improving the quality of their exports they could increase their cash flow. Their exports to other countries at that time were quite small.