La sugar cane (saccharum officinarum) is native to the East and only after the great geographical discoveries of the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries did it progressively reach the Americas thanks to the work of European colonizers, who found in those places soils and climates favorable to its cultivation. Initially used for the production of sugar, its vocation for the production of alcoholic beverages was subsequently discovered, being a plant rich in sugary substances that are easily fermentable and therefore distillable. 
In particular, modern rums can be obtained from two derivatives from the processing of the plant: Dal pure juice extracted directly from the grinding of the barrel or from the molasses, a dark colored liquid, derived from the processing of sugar which is then sent to fermentation. Rum produced with pure juice are called "agricultural”And they are very fragrant and elegant products, while rums distilled from molasses are softer and more concentrated. Once the base product has been fermented, the resulting "must" is sent for distillation. It can be of two types according to the machines that are used. There discontinuous distillation (o pot still) is the oldest and most traditional, carried out with artisanal methods in which the role of the master distiller is fundamental. It uses copper stills, small or medium-sized, where the fermented product, thanks to the heat and high evaporation temperatures, is concentrated through a double distillation. In this way, two noble elements are extracted, fundamental for any good rum: ethyl alcohol and aromatic essences that will give the final product its organoleptic and qualitative identity. 
The second type of distillation is said teacher (o coffee still o column) and achieves the same results but with large, totally mechanized if not industrial distillation plants, with rapid and continuous production times (hence the name). Both processes provide high quality distillates, with the only difference in quantities, which in the case of continuous distillation can reach truly remarkable numbers, while discontinuous distillation is today often synonymous with products linked to artisanal production, which provides more limited quantities and always different vintage after vintage.
At this point the rum is not ready yet, because after distillation there is a fundamental period of aging in barrel which will give the product some of its most characteristic notes. They are usually used oak woods already used for the production of other spirits (especially bourbon, one of the best known and most popular types of American whiskey), so as to give the rum the classic hints of vanilla, caramel, cocoa, coffee, dried and candied fruit, spices and tobacco that lovers of this distillate appreciate so much. Rum refinement can last for years, even decades. Furthermore, before being put on the market, it can undergo a final processing in which the distillate can be Assembled (or in among) with other Rums made with similar or different methods based on the choices or tastes of the company, so as to arrive at a finished product capable of communicating a territory or a certain production style in a clear and original way. 
In the vast galaxy of Rum there are in fact three different styles that originate from the country in which the distillate is made, and are linked to the nations that in the past gave rise to production in those lands or the former colonizers. First of all it spanish style, widespread especially in Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, Santo Domingo and Panama, produces rums obtained with continuous distillation and mainly from molasses, they are therefore very rich, sweet and soft products. Zacapa is one of the best known distillers worldwide, as well as Botran, Cubaney, Brugal, up to popular manufacturers such as Havanca Club, Pampero e Bacardi. If we visited instead Martinique, Guadalupe, French Guiana, Haiti e Reunion we would find it there French style, with its rums produced from cane juice (and therefore defined Agriculture) and with discontinuous stills inspired by those used for the production of Cognac. They are very fine, elegant and structured rums, and being produced in the French overseas territories they are protected by one AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlée, the equivalent of our Doc and Docg). Particularly well-known are distillers such as Trois Riviere, Damoiseau, Bally, JM e The Mauny. To finish it English style, mainly spread to Barbados, Jamaica, Bermuda, Trinidad and Tobago and Guayana. It represents, so to speak, a "middle ground" between the two previous schools. It uses both molasses and cane juice as a starting point, as it distills both with continuous and discontinuous plants, inspired by those used for the production of Scotch Whisky. Distillers such as Eldorado are famous for the high quality of their bland and great aging they can have, just as producers are known to the general public as Mount Gay, Appleton, Pusser's e Doorly.
However, regardless of where and how it is produced, rum certainly represents today a product of excellence that is always current and modern, while respecting the centuries-old tradition that sees it as the protagonist. The best way to taste it is in a large chalice which enhances the aromas on the nose and allows you to enhance the great taste richness, perhaps combining it with a dark chocolate bar or, for the more refined, with a good one cigar. Just as it could be the noble conclusion of a good meal or good company at the end of the day, in front of a nice crackling fire after a long hunting trip.
