Rum is derived from a by-product of sugar, in the form of molasses. It is produced from the fermentation of a sugarcane source.1 Molasses is the final by-product from the production of sugar, and contains essential non-sugar organic compounds and minerals in the production process.1 It was discovered that when the sticky substance of molasses was set in the sun to cook or ferment, that it produced a new substance. This organically rich substance would be the basis for the future rum industry. This fermented material then undergoes a distillation process that in turn yields a clear liquid that is then aged in oake

n casks.2 The various types of rum whether dark or light, are determined by the aging process. Darker rums are aged longer and absorb materials from the oak casks while also undergoing maintenance of skimming from the sugar boiling, to give them their color and taste. The fermentation of organic substances within the molasses enhance the liquids flavor and aroma.2 the entire fermentation process can last from one to seven years depending on the variety of rum being produced.

Although rum in itself is a by-product of another item, it still creates a great deal of waste products. At first distillers did with these wastes similar to what they did with all other, and dumped them into the oceans. However, since the rum process has become overhauled and incredibly profitable in the past century, new methods of disposing these wastes have been incorporated. Mainly the soluble molasses are mixed with soil to form a more agriculturally beneficial fertilizer. This can be done in three ways: agricultural utilization, land reclamation, or land farming.4 All of these methods are similar in that they eventually enhance the organic materials of the soils and also break down the inorganic compounds that are within the rum wastes. Just recently in the past couple of years, rum wastes have been used to help departments of transportation to combat their icy roads during the winter months. The wastes of rum, can been mixed with other wastes such as beer or corn by-products to create a goo that melts away snow faster and more effectively then salt or sand.8 This substance is perhaps the next step in the recycling process for rum and alcoholic production.

The island of what is now known as Barbados where some argue that the term “rum” was coined became cleared for the cultivation of sugarcane products. Nearly 76% of the island was cut and leveled for the growing of sugarcane and rum distillation during the 17th and 18th centuries.3 Many other islands contained similar statistics as the entire Caribbean basin was converted into a massive exporter of agricultural goods. With the boom of the slave trade from Africa, sugarcane crops were being harvested at an alarming rate. Traders were quickly using their profits from the selling of rum in Europe to purchase even more slaves, and in turn to rejuvenate the entire process with fresh blood.

A perhaps golden substance,

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