Modern Caribbean Rum Preview

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Modern Caribbean Rum

Modern Caribbean Rum (Book Preview)

Modern Caribbean Rum by Matt Pietrek and Carrie Smith is a contemporary reference to the Caribbean’s essential spirit—focused on how rum is made today, how the business works, and how producers across the Caribbean actually operate.

What this book covers

The scope is exactly what the title promises: Modern (today’s Caribbean rum world, not a deep historical tome), Caribbean (the Caribbean basin plus closely associated producers such as Guyana and Suriname), and Rum (rum/rhum/ron—language variants rather than separate technical categories).

This book is built as a reference snapshot of a fast-changing category. It prioritizes producers and production realities over brand rankings, bottle scores, or “best rum” lists.

Table of contents

Part 1: Setting the Stage

  1. What Is Rum?
  2. Rum: A Brief History
  3. Classifying Rum
  4. The Many Misconceptions of Rum

Part 2: Making Rum

  1. Rum Production: Sugarcane
  2. Rum Production: Fermentation
  3. Rum Production: Distillation
  4. Rum Production: Aging
  5. Rum Production: Blending
  6. Rum Production: Rum Flavor Science
  7. Common Elements of Spanish Heritage Rum

Part 3: The Business of Rum

  1. Behind the Brands
  2. Bulk and Sourced Rum
  3. Free Trade: Tariffs and Subsidies
  4. West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association
  5. French Overseas Departments
  6. Rum Regulations
  7. Evolving Trends in Rum

Part 4: Caribbean Rum Producers

  1. Barbados
  2. Jamaica
  3. Guyana
  4. Trinidad
  5. Grenada
  6. St. Lucia
  7. Antigua & Barbuda
  8. St. Vincent & the Grenadines
  9. Belize
  10. Haiti
  11. Cuba
  12. Puerto Rico
  13. Dominican Republic
  14. Venezuela
  15. Guatemala
  16. Nicaragua
  17. Panama
  18. Martinique
  19. Guadeloupe
  20. Suriname

Plus: Appendix and Index.

Preview highlights

Rum defined (clearly and technically)

The preview opens by defining rum as a distilled spirit made from the sugarcane plant, and clarifies why “rum is made from molasses” is incomplete: rum can also be made from fresh cane juice or cane syrup.

Fermentation: where flavor is born

The fermentation section explains fundamentals (yeast converting sugars into ethanol, carbon dioxide, and heat), and why ferment time, yeast choice, and process control shape aroma and flavor. It also introduces higher-flavor techniques used at some producers, including systems involving dunder and muck.

Bulk rum: the invisible engine of global rum

The bulk rum section outlines why bulk trade exists, what “sourced rum” means in practice, and how industrial logistics shape what brands can actually buy. It also discusses the role of large intermediaries in connecting producers to brands worldwide.

Producer coverage

The producer chapters provide country-by-country coverage across the Caribbean (and closely tied regions), giving readers a structured way to understand how different places make rum—and why those differences matter.