How do you place rums?

[mbanu]

So how do you fellows determine where a rum was actually distilled, or if it's a blend, where the components were distilled? Many rum labels I've seen aren't particularly helpful. Most labels seem to just give the name of the bottler if anything, and when they do give the name of a distillery, I have trouble determining whether it's the real distillery it was produced from, or simply the name of a holding company. So how do you guys place the origin of rum? UPC codes? Marks on the bottle? Talking to wholesalers? Clever guesswork? Magic? :)

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Edited June 29, 2005 by mbanu (log)

[Ed Hamilton]

Good question mbanu. Unfortunately, only a few distillers use the words, "distilled and bottled at xyz distillery, city, country.

Clues that the spirit in the bottle is a private label include words like "distilled or bottled for, under license of," and "product of" without a distillery name.

But there are a number of rums where the rum isn't distilled at the distillery that the label claims. With some practice, you will be able to spot rums that are what I call private labels, rums produced by a distillery for some one else's label.

It has been my experience that unless the label tells you where the spirit was distilled, aged and bottled, they don't want you to know.