add sugar to the rum before bottling

[fgod222]

Hi,
To improve the taste, do you add sugar to the rum before bottling?
if yes, how much?
thank you

[bilgriss]

We usually discourage double posting things
viewtopic.php?p=7791988#p7791988

[Twisted Brick]

If adding sugar to rum or whiskey was an acceptable practice it would be well-documented in members’ descriptions of processes and/or recipes.

[Sporacle]

Someone posted a while back a table of all the commercial rums and it showed the amount of sugar added post ferment.
I was generally surprised by how much sugar is added, especially to some of those spiced rums.
Bumbu had 50g per L originally
I don't add sugar and feel I don't need to
https://www.rumrevelations.com/sugar-list

Edit found one

[NZChris]

I make my own caramel and add it to taste, doing a lot of 100ml experiments before deciding how much to use in a bottle.

[Dancing4dan]

I find many rum are so sweet they are sticky.

[Yonder]

Never have. Don’t see a need to.

[Saltbush Bill]

Adding distillers caramel is a short cut also, even if it is used by some commercial outfits.
They do it because there is no law to say they can't, and it saves them time on ageing / oaking as well as adding some colour.

[JustinNZ]

Yep, it’s pretty widespread in the industry and I think it’s a shame because it creates an impression that it’s what rum tastes like. I think it’s weird in a 5-year-old to even need to add sugar. But when I look at the shelves in pubs I see the flavoured, sweetened and spiced rums dominating. Sure, a sweetened rum can be enjoyable, but I prefer the off-dry style of gold rum that has sweetness from the wood - and vanilla and caramel and dried fruit flavours coming from the fusion of the wood with the molasses. Kinda like a rum for whisky drinkers. Kinda.

[Sporacle]

Yep, it’s pretty widespread in the industry and I think it’s a shame because it creates an impression that it’s what rum tastes like. I think it’s weird in a 5-year-old to even need to add sugar. But when I look at the shelves in pubs I see the flavoured, sweetened and spiced rums dominating. Sure, a sweetened rum can be enjoyable, but I prefer the off-dry style of gold rum that has sweetness from the wood - and vanilla and caramel and dried fruit flavours coming from the fusion of the wood with the molasses. Kinda like a rum for whisky drinkers. Kinda.

That's a really good point, for us it used to be Bundy and Coke.
The coke was the sugar, I'm with Yummy and I enjoy Bundy as a rum on its own.
My in laws are all massive fans of spiced rum and they drink it with coke, it is so sweet.
Rum is rum and should be enjoyed as rum. Care and time

[8Ball]

As a hobby distiller, I enjoy exploring all aspects of the spirit making art, this includes making my own dark caramelized sugar (almost burnt). I’ve added it once as an experiment at a rate of 12 grams per gallon of rum at 60%. It’s been aging for about a year now on used white oak barrel stave cut offs. If I like how it compares to the other rums I’ve made, then I’ll add the caramel more often, contrary opinions be damned.

[JustinNZ]

They’re only opinions. We do this crazy thing to make what we like to drink. And experimenting is one of the most enjoyable - and sometimes disturbing - parts of the journey. So now, damn you, I’m gonna try to caramelise some sugar and make a couple of bottles of dark rum.

[NZChris]

AFAIK, the commercial blenders add caramel to the blends. I've never heard of caramel being added to the barrels by the distillers.
This makes it easy as you are not trying to guess what the effect will be after a few years of aging.

I make a batch of caramel, dissolve it with a bit of water, then add high proof to at least 20% abv to preserve it for use as an essence.
I don't always use it, only playing with it if I think a blend, or single, might benefit from it. The amount is usually so small that it is barely noticeable, 'in your face' always being too much for me.

[Sporacle]

I have no issues with people adding sugar to rum, I have an issue with sugar and spices being used to disguise a rubbish base product.
Spiced rum (I include sugar in that as well) and rum are two totally seperate things.
I wouldn't be happy if bought a bottle of 6 year old bourbon and find it had sugar added at bottling.
These are just my opinions, I know that Eightballs rum would be great with or without sugar.
Being Australian rum is made with Molasses and time

[Homebrewer11777]

Interesting that OP put this into two threads...one for rum and one for whiskey. My impression was that generally distilled spirits do not have added sugar however there are clearly many exceptions especially when you get into flavored spirits.

By law in US Bourbon may not have any additives and so those products with added sugar play around with their labels to clarify when they include additives:
Jim Beam Apple Whiskey (that is what Fine Wines calls it) on the label calls itself Jim Beam Apple and under that clarifies Apple Liqueur Infused with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Brown Sugar Bourbon - Bourbon Whiskey with Natural Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Flavors & Caramel Color
Lots of bourbon examples easy to find..and the Canadiens have a bunch too.

I don't believe rum has same federal and state regulations regarding labeling so while plenty exist not a label requirement to disclose. At least in the US.

My thinking is that the hobbyists on this site...the general definition of spirits are those having nothing added. Then you have infused spirits and liqueurs. Anything with sugar added is going to fall into the liqueur basket regardless of which spirit they started with.


Edited to add:
So for OP...if looking for amount of sugar to add to either rum or bourbon, suggest you read recipes in the Liquers section of the recipe board.