Phil Lempert TODAY Food Editor • Profile • E-mail

Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest…

Johnny Depp has helped push the worldwide box office sales for "Pirates of the Caribbean" to over $600 million by early June, and the third installment of the series (which also took MTV’s Best Picture and Best Performance awards) has without question brought back the allure and romance of the “pirate.”

Can Captain Jack Sparrow do the same for his signature beverage?

According to The Nielsen Company, total rum sales dollars are up a measly 2.8 percent over last year, but when put into context of an increase of 2.9 percent for all sprits, and the fact that rum is #2 behind vodka it’s easy to imagine that with the kind of hype that a blockbuster movie could provide. Rum sales might just be in for an adventurous ride on the high seas. It is the subcategories of Premium (up 12 percent) and Ultra Premium (up 8.9 percent) that clearly show the opportunity (based on total U.S. Food, Drug, Liquor Store Channel for the 52 weeks ending April 7, 2007). Premium rums retail for $13 - $25.99 and now enjoy almost a 12 percent share of the total rum category, while the emerging Ultra share (priced $26 and up) is just 0.6 percent).

A look back through Sparrow’s spyglass would find many trend parallels to the rise of vodka. However, there are two important differences. The history and significance of rum when coupled with the movie’s continued success could well fuel a new surge of rum drinkers if some brilliant marketing kicks in soon. But alas, with all well made marketing plans, we need to remember that the foundation of selling a complicated product like rum, is educating the consumer.

Five classifications of rum
White rums are the largest variety and account for over half (54.4 percent) of sales dollars. These rums are generally light-bodied, usually clear and with a subtle flavor. When aged in oak casks to become smoother, they are then filtered to remove any color. White Rums are primarily used as mixers and are the basis for the new fruit flavored rums.

Golden rums (or amber rums) are medium-bodied and are aged for several years in oak casks, producing a smooth and mellow product.

Dark rums are full-bodied, rich, caramel-dominated rums and frequently aged in oak casks for any where from 3 to 10 year periods.

Spiced rums are the fastest growing in the category at 9.6 percent last year (as compared to just a growth of 1.4 percent for unflavored rum) and now represent a 25 percent share.

Añejo and age-dated rums are blended aged rums from different vintages or batches mixed together to produce a consistent flavor from year to year. The labels on some of these rums will include information about the blends or the youngest year of aging. (e.g., at least 10 years old).

And how the rum is distilled and aged makes all the difference!

All rums come out of the still as clear and colorless.

Lighter rums are highly purified and blended and are produced in column or continuous stills, after which they are usually charcoal-filtered. Some brands age their rums in old oak casks to create a smoother product.

Heavier rums are usually distilled in pot stills; the same that produce Cognacs and Scotch. Pot stills are not as production efficient as column stills and some congeners (fusel oils and other flavors) are maintained in the product. Some brands actually blend both pot and column distilled Rum to create a unique flavor.

Barrel aging and the use of added caramel determine the final rum color.

So let’s head to the tasting!

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