Does rum go off?
Rum is a very stable spirit and if unopened it will retain its quality and flavour.
Once opened, rum can be stored for years without going bad, unless you keep it in an unsealed bottle next to a radiator or in direct sunlight. However, even if tightly resealed, the taste and quality of rum in an opened bottle will very slowly start to change as it reacts with oxygen in the air. Therefore it is recommended that you finish a bottle within 2 years of opening it.
The above information relates to pure rum. Rum liqueurs and flavoured rums are more likely to go off within a few months of opening.
How should you store rum?
Whether opened or unopened, rum should be stored in a tightly sealed bottle in a cool, dry place that is away from radiators and direct sunlight.
Do not store rum in the bottle with a pourer attached. This will allow the liquid to evaporate, and since alcohol evaporates faster than water, your rum will become weaker in ABV as the months go by.
If the bottle is less than half full and you don’t plan to drink it in the next few weeks, it is worth pouring the rum into a different, smaller bottle. Rum reacts with oxygen, so the more space in the bottle there is for air, the quicker the rum will acquire a vinegary smell and deteriorate in quality and taste.
Can you keep rum in the freezer?
The typical household freezer is set to minus 18 C (zero Fahrenheit). Pure rum shouldn’t freeze until the temperature falls to minus 27 C (-17 F), so it is safe in your freezer. Rum liqueurs have a lower ABV and therefore freeze more easily.
Rum does all its ageing in the barrel, not the bottle. So that bottle of 10 years aged rum you bought 5 years ago has not become a bottle of 15 years aged rum.However, through evaporation and oxidisation, the taste and quality of rum can change in the bottle over time.
Do you have another question about rum or rum storage? Let us know!
Also read our FAQs on rum ingredients & dietary information.
