Does Rum Go Bad?
We have good news for those of you who wonder how long rum lasts. Provided that nothing has happened to “spoil” it, rum has a shelf life of forever.
Montanya rums are 80 Proof and don’t have added sugar.
The high alcohol content typically creates an anti-bacterial environment, and if rum is stored in the original glass bottle with a clean natural cork or a synthetic cork, it should last just fine.
That said, there are a few caveats (as with most things in life!). First, a low ABV (alcohol by volume) rum may have a low enough quantity of alcohol or a high enough ratio of added sugar or caramel that it cannot maintain an antibacterial environment. If the sugar content is high enough and oxygen is introduced to the environment, a rum could potentially grow a bacteria culture on its surface. This would be more likely if the rum is left uncorked, or corked and uncorked a lot.
It’s also possible for a natural cork to be contaminated, which could affect the quality of the rum. This is referred to as “cork taint” and it is caused by a chemical compound called Trichloroanisole, commonly known as TCA. (At Montanya Distillers, we use synthetic corks made by Tapi, one of the benefits of which is that we don’t worry about this kind of contamination.)
At Montanya we use synthetic corks made in the USA by Tapi.
The other variable to consider is what’s been done to a rum after opening. Many people put rum into a plastic quick-pour bottle, which means the alcohol can act as a solvent on the plastic—particularly when left for a long time or if the rum is high in alcohol content. That creates a chemical presence of partly dissolved plastic in the bottle that you may taste and may not want to drink.
Infusions left unchecked can also affect the quality of a rum. While this isn’t necessarily going to cause the rum or the infusion ingredients to rot, the rum might taste terrible. Take basil. If you leave it in an infusion for more than four days, it tastes like you took a bite out of green lawn grass. (Can you tell we’re speaking from experience? 😆)
In general, we like to treat rum the way we treat anything we consume: keep it away from plastic, keep it clean and free of TCA, practice moderation and don’t let a good thing go to waste!
You Might Also Like Our Free Rum Tasting Guide:
Have some rum in your home bar that you’d like to use? Host your own tasting with our free eBook, including a tasting notes template:
Demystify Rum
Our guide to all things rum, including what sets one rum apart from another and how to do your own tasting. Includes a tasting notes template: