Rum Style

Ron ligero, light rum, is the style that made Cuban rum famous around the world. It refers to a rum that tastes dry, smooth, and only lightly spiced. Its ideal is not power but smoothness, which makes it as suited to mixed drinks as to sipping neat.

It becomes light at several points at once. Fermentation is short, the column strips away many aroma compounds, and the cask forms only part of the blend, since matured aguardiente is combined with filtered alcohol and water. The result tastes of vanilla and caramel, with no single aroma dominating.

The designation of origin names categories from Añejo Blanco through Carta Blanca and Añejo Reserva to Extra Seco and Extra Añejo. Bottling strength runs from 37.5 to 41 percent alcohol, with only Extra-quality rums allowed to deviate. Sweetening uses Cuban cane sugar syrup, at no more than 20 grams per liter, with coloring limited to caramel used for evening out shade.

Rhum agricole from the French Antilles is the counterpart. It's made from fresh cane juice and tastes grassy and peppery, whereas Cuban rum comes from molasses and tastes round and sweetly woody. The fruity, ester-rich rum of Jamaica is likewise a different type, built on pot stills and long fermentation.

Maestros del Ron Cubano is the name given to the rum masters who build this style. UNESCO recognized their knowledge as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2022. According to trade reports, it is passed down orally and through practice, from master to apprentice, and becoming a master requires at least fifteen years of experience.