Updated June 2026.
Rum taste is not a TTB class. Rum is distilled from sugarcane juice, syrup, molasses, or other cane by-products at less than 95% ABV and bottled at 40% or more. Drinkers often cite molasses, banana, or oak — bar talk. Cachaça is the one named US rum type. “White,” “gold,” and “dark” are color words, not classes. A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is one NIAAA drink.
Related: cachaça vs rum, Jamaican rum labels, Bacardi gold vs Superior.
Class vs pour
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| US rum | 1.00 at 40% |
| Cachaça | From labeled ABV |
| White / gold / dark | — |
| Typical US bottle | 1.00 |
A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: rum drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.147. Cachaça type on the same section.
- Typical US 40%. NIAAA December 2025.
- 27 CFR 5.147; cane; ≥40%
- (27 CFR 5.147)