How Long Is Bacardi White Aged? If you enjoy BACARDÍ white rum, you may be surprised to learn that its clear appearance does not mean it goes straight from distillation into the bottle. BACARDÍ Superior, also known as BACARDÍ Carta Blanca in many markets, is commonly reported to spend approximately one to two years ageing in oak barrels before being filtered to remove its colour. So, what happens during this ageing process, and how does it affect the rum’s flavour? Understanding how BACARDÍ white rum is made can help explain what sets it apart from other rums and why it is a popular choice for cocktails.
Table of Contents
1. How Long Is Bacardi White Aged?
BACARDÍ Superior white rum is commonly described as spending one to two years ageing in oak barrels.
During this period, the rum interacts with the wood, which influences its flavour, aroma and texture.
The barrels used for BACARDÍ Carta Blanca are American white oak barrels previously used by the American whiskey and bourbon industries. Using previously used barrels helps moderate the influence of fresh wood on the spirit, contributing to the lighter character BACARDÍ aims to achieve.
Ageing is an important part of the production process because it helps develop the character of the rum. The spirit can acquire subtle flavour characteristics through contact with the wood, even when it does not retain a brown or golden appearance in the finished bottle.
It is worth distinguishing between the commonly reported one-to-two-year ageing period and a precise, guaranteed age statement.
BACARDÍ’s product information describes the barrel-ageing process, but the standard product page does not specify an exact number of months for every batch.
2. Why Is Bacardí White Rum Clear if It Has Been Aged?
The answer is charcoal filtration.
As rum matures in oak barrels, it can absorb colour compounds from the wood.
This can give the spirit a golden or amber appearance. BACARDÍ uses a specially developed charcoal filtration process to remove the colour acquired during ageing while helping produce the clean, smooth character associated with its white rum.
The production process can be summarised as follows:
- Fermentation: Molasses derived from sugarcane is fermented using yeast and water.
- Distillation: The fermented liquid is distilled to produce rum.
- Ageing: The rum matures in oak barrels, developing its character.
Dark Rum Site:ChickAboutTown.com
If you would like to know what I have to share about dark rum on this site, please click here.
How Long Is Bacardi Gold Aged?
If you would like to know how long Bacardi Gold is aged for, click here.
Bacardi Black vs Gold vs Superior: A Summary
Clearly, the distinguishing factors between Bacardi white, Bacardi dark rum, and Bacardi Gold are 1) how long they are aged, 2) what they are aged in, and 3) whether or not they are filtered again after aging.
Bacardi White or Black Which One? Site:ChickAboutTown.com
Bacardi white rum is aged less than Bacardi gold rum, which in turn is aged less than Bacardi dark rum.
Since age is usually an indication of the sophistication of an alcohol, we can also conclude that Bacardi Black is finer than Bacardi Gold, which in turn is finer than Bacardi white.
Looking at my own experience with rum, I now understand why I prefer Myers’s Rum to Captain Morgan’s Spice Gold to white Bacardi rum.
Gold Rum Site:ChickAboutTown.com
If you would like to know what I have to share about gold rum on this site, click here.
Is Bacardi Rum?
Yes, Bacardi is rum.
What Is Barcadi?
Barcadi is simply a misspelling of Bacardi.
What Is Bicardi?
Bicardi is a misspelling of Bacardi.
What is Baccardi?
Baccardi is simply a misspelling of the brand name Bacardi. Read more about Bacardi here.