What is the difference between rum and whisky?

Rum comes from sugar cane, whisky from grain.

Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2019/787 allows only molasses, sugar cane syrup or sugar cane juice as the raw material for rum. For whisky the same annex prescribes a mash of malted grains, with or without whole grains of unmalted cereal. Rum may be distilled to below 96 per cent alcohol, whisky to below 94.8 per cent. So the raw material determines which category a bottle falls into, not the flavour and not the cask.

In the European Union, whisky must spend at least three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres; for rum the law sets no period.

Regulation (EU) 2019/787 lays down maturation in the definition of whisky itself: the final product matures for at least three years in wooden casks no larger than 700 litres. The definition of rum lacks any such requirement. A rum without an age on the label therefore simply complies with European rules. Countries may, however, set stricter requirements within their own protection of origin.

Rum may contain up to 20 grams of sweetener per litre; whisky may not be sweetened at all.

The regulation allows rum to be sweetened to round off the flavour, up to a maximum of 20 grams per litre, expressed as invert sugar. Flavouring is not allowed for rum, and only caramel is permitted for colour. Whisky lacks that leeway: apart from water, only caramel for colour may be added.

Scotch whisky is laid down in British legislation, whereas rum has no worldwide regulation but does have separate protected designations per country.

The Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 lay down where and how Scotch may be made, matured and named. No such thing exists for rum on a global scale. There are national designations, though: Jamaica Rum was registered on 1 December 2016 in the name of the Spirits Pool Association, and French appellations fall under the INAO. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 also reserves the term agricole for rum made from sugar cane juice from the French overseas departments and Madeira.

According to Article 13 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, an age on a bottle always refers to the youngest alcoholic component.

With whisky this rule is well known: a twelve-year-old blend contains no whisky younger than twelve years. Exactly the same requirement applies to rum, even though maturation is not compulsory there. A number on a rum bottle that does not refer to the youngest component may therefore not be an age statement in the European Union.