What Is Dark Rum and How Does Navy Rum Differ?

What Is Dark Rum Made From?

Have you ever gone shopping for spirits and wondered why rum comes both light and dark?

In general, rum is made from fermenting and distilling sugarcane. But, you can change the composition of the rum according to the fermentable used and how it's stored. 

Dark rum is made by using molasses and caramel coloring. Some rum makers will even age it longer in wooden barrels to achieve a smokier effect. 

Both light and dark rum are aged before sale, but when producing dark rum suppliers like to age it a little longer. 

Dark rum is perfect for use in delicious cocktails like the Dark n' Stormy, Hurricane, or Painkiller. 

A History of Navy Rum 

Now let's travel back in time to discuss the history of Navy Rum.

Sailors in the British Navy started receiving a daily ration of rum or "tot" each daily starting in the 1700s, yet the practice stopped in July 1970.

The original “tot” was a half pint of rum per day. The rum generally averaged around 55% alcohol or 110 proof. 

Not only were the sailors upset about this decision, a bunch of Navy Rum was sitting unused in warehouses.

By ordering millions of gallons of rum from various locations and commonly mixing these quantities during storage, the British Navy created its own style of rum. 

Navy Rum is having a comeback, thanks in part to the release of our Pusser's Rum collection

In honor of the last day sailors received their daily "tot," we have joined rum enthusiasts across the world in celebrating Black Tot Day on July 31, the day in 1970 when they ended the practice. 

What is the Best Navy Rum?

If you're in the market to pick up some Navy Rum, you've come to the right place. 

The Pussers 50th BTD Anniversary Rum was recently named one of the world's best in 2020 by Forbes. 

This limited-edition bottle commemorates the 50th anniversary of Black Tot Day with a blend of rum from Trinidad and Guyana. It's around 109 proof and was made to match the rum used by the old Admiralty.  

Its taste is described as a warm mix of rich molasses and sweet brown sugar. Island spices like nutmeg and clove were added to the rum. 

Order Your Bottle of Navy Rum

After reading this article you should be able to answer the question: what is dark rum? And how it's different from light rum.

If the Navy Rum we described above sounds delicious to you, read more about how we make rum and order a bottle online!