Rum · Explainer
What is spiced rum?
Spiced rum is rum to which herbs, spices or flavourings have been added. Regulation (EU) 2019/787 stipulates that rum is not flavoured, so such a drink falls outside the rum category. The label then says spirit drink or liqueur. Rum itself must contain at least 37.5 percent alcohol and may receive at most 20 grams of sweetener per litre.
In brief
The key figures
| Legal category of rum | Category 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/787 |
|---|---|
| Minimum alcohol content of rum | 37.5 percent vol |
| Flavouring | Not permitted for rum |
| Adding alcohol | Not permitted for rum, neither diluted nor undiluted |
| Sweetening | At most 20 grams of sweetener per litre, only to round off the flavour |
| Colours | Only caramel, solely to adjust the colour |
| Designation for flavouring | Spirit drink, according to Article 10(3) |
| Liqueur as an alternative | Category 33: at least 15 percent vol, usually at least 100 grams of sugar per litre |
What is in spiced rum?
Spiced rum is rum to which herbs, spices or flavourings have been added after distillation. Which ones differs per brand and is far from always on the label.
The base is regular rum: distilled from fermented molasses, sugar cane syrup or sugar cane juice, to less than 96 percent alcohol. Only after distilling does the flavouring come in. Some brands work with real spices, others with aromas or extracts. Because the composition is not laid down by law, the character varies widely from bottle to bottle.
Why may spiced rum not be called rum?
Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2019/787 states under category 1 that rum is not flavored. A flavored bottle therefore no longer meets the rum category.
The category is tightly regulated. Rum may not contain added alcohol, may only be coloured with caramel and may receive at most 20 grams of sweetener per litre to round off the flavour. As soon as flavourings are added, that description is no longer met. The drink remains permitted, but the name rum as a legal designation lapses.
What should be on the label, then?
If a drink does not meet any category in Annex I, the legal name is spirit drink. If the bottle meets the requirements for liqueur, it may be called liqueur.
Article 10(3) of the regulation governs this fallback option. Liqueur is category 33: at least 15 percent alcohol and in most cases at least 100 grams of sugar per litre. Many sweet spiced rums exceed that limit and are therefore called liqueur. Drier versions remain under the designation spirit drink.
May the name spiced rum still appear on the bottle?
Yes. Spiced rum may appear on the label as a compound term, alongside the legal name. The letters may not be larger than those of the legal name.
Article 11 sets conditions for this. All the alcohol in the bottle must come from the drink named, so from rum. The compound term must be written in the same typeface and without interruption. The British government guidance on labelling expressly names spiced rum as an example of such a compound term.
How can you tell whether a bottle is real rum?
Look at the legal designation on the label. If it says rum, then the drink is not flavoured and the bottle contains at least 37.5 percent alcohol.
The trade name on the front label says little; the legal designation does. It is often shown in small print next to the alcohol percentage and the volume. If you find spirit drink or liqueur there, then something has been added to the rum.
From the shop in Bathmen
Spiced rum in the shop in Bathmen
In the shop in Bathmen there are 20 bottles with spiced on the label, from 13 different brands from 11 countries. The alcohol percentage ranges from 35% to 45%.
- Angostura Tamboo Spiced Rum 40% · 70 cl · Trinidad and Tobago
- Bacardi Caribbean Spiced 40% · 70 cl · Cuba
- Bacardi Spiced 35% · 70 cl · Cuba
- Bacardi Spiced 35% · 100 cl · Cuba
- Bacardi Spiced 35% · 150 cl · Cuba
- Bacardi Spiced Rum + origineel Bacardi Glas On Pack 35% · 100 cl · Italy
- BrewDog Duo Spiced Rum 40% · 70 cl · Scotland
- Captain Morgan Black Spiced 40% · 70 cl · Jamaica
- Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 35% · 100 cl · Jamaica
- Captain Morgan Spiced Gold 35% · 70 cl · Jamaica
Related questions
What is tropical ageing in rum?What are the Spanish, English and French styles of rum?Which rum do you use for a mojito?
Short answer
Short answers to related questions
- Is spiced rum the same as rum with spices?
- Yes. Gekruide rum is the Dutch designation for the same drink.
- May rum be coloured?
- Only with caramel, and solely to adjust the colour.
- Does the same rule apply to flavoured whisky?
- Yes, and more strictly. According to category 2, whisky may not be sweetened or flavoured, not even to round off the taste.
- What is the difference between spiced rum and rum liqueur?
- Liqueur is a category of its own with at least 15 percent alcohol and as a rule at least 100 grams of sugar per litre.
- Where is the legal name on the bottle?
- Usually in small print on the back label, next to the alcohol percentage and the volume.
The reasoning
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2019/787 on spirit drinks, EUR-Lex (accessed 4 September 2026)
- Labelling spirit drinks, GOV.UK (accessed 4 September 2026)
- Eisen etiketten, SpiritsNL (accessed 4 September 2026)
Deze pagina is geschreven en gecontroleerd door ’t Bockje Bathmen, slijterij aan de Brink 2 in Bathmen. Laatst bijgewerkt op 29 oktober 2026.
Verkoop van alcohol onder de 18 jaar is verboden. NIX18.