What's the Difference Between Rum and Bourbon? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Rum and Bourbon? ›

Whiskey is a distilled liquor made from fermented grain—for bourbon, in particular, that grain is corn. Unlike rum that just needs to come from a sugar cane base, you have to meet the criteria—aka follow the rules—to guarantee the consistency and quality of bourbon and to have “bourbon” on the label.

Bourbon is a type of American whiskey aged in American oak barrels. It is primarily made from fermented grains like corn, rye, wheat, and barley. The bourbon name stems from the French Bourbon Dynasty. On the other hand, Rum is a distilled spirit made from sugar cane molasses or sugar cane juice.

Rum may have a slightly lower calorie content than bourbon, but in general, both should be consumed in moderation due to their caloric intake.

1. Polmos Spirytus Rektyfikowany Vodka. The world's strongest liquor is a rectified Polish spirit typically used by home distillers to create their own flavored vodkas.

Whiskey is a general term for an alcoholic liquor made from fermented mashed grains. Bourbon is the term for a whiskey made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn. Bourbon was traditionally made in Bourbon County, Kentucky, and most bourbon is still produced in the state of Kentucky.

Furthermore, a properly executed distillation process yields a distillate that has essentially zero sugar content. Regardless of whether the distiller is making whiskey, brandy, tequila, rum or vodka, what comes off the still is not sweet. There is no sugar in it.

Considered one of the most dangerous – and unhealthy – drinks, a Long Island iced tea doesn't actually contain any iced tea. Instead, it's a combination of vodka, gin, rum, tequila and triple sec, topped with sour mix and soda. All together, that means one Long Island contains as many as 780 calories.

As long as you drink in moderation, it can have some health benefits. A moderate amount of bourbon consumption is one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. In addition to a balanced diet and moderate exercise, bourbon can be a component of a healthy lifestyle when used in moderation.

Highly concentrated beverages, like vodka and gin, are absorbed faster by your body. It also absorbs fizzy and bubbly drinks, like champagne or soda mixes, quicker than other drinks. How fast you drink: Chugging rather than sipping will increase your BAC faster and cause you to feel drunker.

What is the most sold alcohol in the world? ›

Beer. Beer is the most consumed alcohol in the world. In fact, after water and tea, beer is actually the most popular drink in the world. According to reports, in the 2022 brewing year, global beer production ended up increasing slightly year-on-year by 1.3% to 1.89 billion hectolitres.

Beer. Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage worldwide. In fact, after water and tea, beer is the most commonly-consumed drink in the world. Beer is also most likely the oldest alcoholic drink in history.

And a bourbon must be distilled at no more than 160 proof, or 80% alcohol by volume. Jack is well under that. It comes over the still at 140 proof, or 70% alcohol. After that, a bourbon must enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof, or 62.5% alcohol by volume.

Specifically, Crown Royal is a Canadian whisky, and even though this technically uses a bourbon mashbill (64% corn, 31.5% rye, 4.5% malted barley), bourbon can only be made in America. Though the TTB originally approved the label, they reversed their decision and forced the brand to stop using the name 'Bourbon Mash'.

Bourbon purists drink their juice neat- which means it's served at room temperature without anything added. It's typically poured in a rocks glass, shot glass, snifter, or Glencairn glass. This is the preferred method for seasoned whiskey drinkers, but it's a great way to get the real deal from a bottle of bourbon.

The alcohol content of rum varies from one country to the other, and the minimum levels can vary from at least 40% to beyond 60%. Whiskey, on the other hand, usually has alcohol contents at 40%.

For a whiskey to be considered Bourbon, its mash – the mixture of grains from which the product is distilled – must contain at least 51% corn. The rest of the mash is usually filled out with rye or wheat, and malted barley.

Several different types of whiskey are permitted to be labeled as straight whiskey, including Bourbon, Rye, Wheat Whiskey, Malt Whiskey, and Rye Malt Whiskey. The primary requirement that defines bourbon as straight is if the distillate has spent a minimum of two years stored in new charred oak barrels.

Georgia's Richland Rum has been making rum for over two decades and is known for its bourbon-like profile, resulting from using new American oak.