Full-bodied, dark rums are typically darker in color because they have been well-aged in barrels, but as with the medium-bodied dark rums, this may also be due to the addition of caramel or molasses. These rums tend to be the best quality.

Rum is a spirit distilled from sugarcane or molasses but because it is predominantly made in the Caribbean, the laws aren’t as strict as say, whisk(e)y laws. Rum is often aged in wooden barrels, but given the tropical climate of the Caribbean, the liquor matures much more quickly in the barrel so comparing a scotch aged 12 years to a rum aged 12 years isn’t apples to apples.