Is Rum Vegan?

Yes. Of course, vegans drink alcohol! It’s a common misconception that the vegan lifestyle is boring but the truth is just because you are becoming plant-based doesn’t mean you have to give up drinking alcohol. Since Rum is finally getting the attention it deserves, we explore whether this drink is suitable for vegans. If you have ever asked the question “is rum vegan?” read on.

What’s Inside?

Rum is like your fun wild friend. Unlike other types of liquor, there are no universal regulations for the distillation or production of rum. For those who are brave, they can enjoy the unlimited inventiveness allowed by rum producers globally but it also means more research is needed since there’s no one regulating the quality standard.

Rum is an alcoholic drink straight from the 1600s. The myth goes that it’s a discovery by slaves in the Caribbeans, who drank a concoction of leftover molasses that had spent weeks in the hot sun. Later, the distillation of these alcoholic byproducts became advanced and produced the first true rums.

Rum is made from the following ingredients:

Fermented sugarcane juice
Cane syrup or molasses (made in distillation to become alcohol at about 80 proof or higher)
Yeast
Water

Interestingly, rum was the first spirit drunk for pleasure and not medical purposes. It was also so valuable in the 18th century that it was used as a type of currency, sailors would receive rum as a form of payment as part of their benefits.

Is it Vegan?

Almost every brand of rum is vegan.

Some rums contain honey and these usually mention ‘honey’ in the name or elsewhere on the bottle.

Be sure to always check the labels, but a good rule of thumb is any liquor that’s clear, unflavored, and does not contain honey is vegan.

Examples of rum that are not vegan-friendly i.e contain honey are Australia’s Adelaide Hills Gunnery Spiced White Rum and Spain’s Cayo Grande Club Ronmiel.

Despite the fact that rum is from sugar cane, during the distillation process, no sugar actually makes it through. This means that pure distilled rum should be sugar-free. Still, there are some rum manufacturers that add in some sugar before the bottling process, in order to adjust the flavor. They, however, specify this in their labels.

The amount of sugar added varies from brand to brand. An example of rum with no sugar is Jamaica’s Appleton Estate. Havana Club 3 Años contains very little ( approximately 3 grams) of sugar. Venezuelan Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva 12 Años rum has about 7 tablespoons (30 grams) of sugar, definitely on a higher scale.

If you are not sure about the amount of sugar added or if there is any sugar in the rum at all, contact the manufacturer before consuming the rum.