Jamaican rums are further divided from a commercial point of view, into three classes, namely:

1. Rums for home consumption.

2. Rums for export to Engand.

3. Rums for export to the continent of Europe. Although rum is one of the principal products of Jamaica, fortunately it is not consumed in very large quantities at home. The statistics show that the local consumption of rum does not much exceed a gallon per head per annum. The citizen of Jamaica cannot be regarded as an inveterate rum drinker. While this is regretted from the point of view of inland revenue, it is a matter of congratulation from the point of view of temperance in the use of all things.

In Jamaica, as in other countries, the introduction of the manufacture of pure spirit has opened the doors for mixing native rums with neutral spirit, and as this is cheaper than making rum in the old-fashioned way, it is not at all surprising that the consumption of these mixed articles has practically driven the consumption of old-fashioned straight rum out of the market. As has been stated by Mr. H. H. Cousins, Government Analyst for Jamaica.

The high-class trade in old rums of delicate softened flavor, which were formerly so highly thought of by the planters and moneyed classes, has largely disappeared, and it would probably be most difficult to obtain a choice mark of an old rum, which has not been blended, from any spirit merchant in Jamaica today.

In regard to the second class, which is intended for shipment to England, it may be said that the same manipulations during the last few years were tried with this class. To such an extent was the manipulation carried, especially after reaching England, that the Jamaican Government sent a special representative, Mr. Nolan, to London to protest against the adulteration of Jamaican rum and see if he could not re-establish the trade in the genuine article. Mr. Cousins refers to the rums of class two, as follows:

The rums of the class to which I now refer, and which constitute the bulk of the rum exported from Jamaica, represent the type of spirit which Mr. Nolan is seeking to advertise, and to protect from fradulent adulteration, and from the competition of spurious Jamaica rum in the United Kingdom.

The rums of this class are produced by a slower type of fermentation than those intended for the local trade. Some of the best varieties are produced by fermentations in ground cisterns, slightly flavored by the addition of some soured skimmings to the fermented materials. These rums are very rich in ethers, being hardly less than 300 parts of ethers per 100,000 parts of alcohol, and sometimes a great deal more.

Class three rums are intended for consumption on the continent of Europe. The trade in Jamaican rum has been long established on the European continent. This trade has largely declined in recent years, and is, doubtless, due to the adulteration of the article with molasses spirit and other substances, which so depress its character as to make the beverage unpopular. Another reason which has tended to diminish the consumption of Jamaican rum is the extremely heavy duty imposed upon it in Jamaica. This, in connection with the lower rates of duty on alcohol, has rendered the competition of the artificial with the imported article, even with its fine flavor, very keen.

The rums exported to Europe are commonly those already described as German-flavored rums. Not only are these rums treated as has already been described, with "dander" and under special circumstances, but the period of fermentation is very much prolonged, reaching sometimes as high as 15 or 20 days. The fermentation takes place slowly, under very acid conditions, the acidity being produced by the addition of soured skimmings, or by the slow process of fermentation to which the mass is subjected.

If the ordinary rum shipped to England may be said to contain about 300 parts of ethers to 100,000 parts of alcohol, the German-flavored rums will contain practically double that amount, namely, from 600 to 700 parts. It is readily seen that they are very aromatic and are considered the very highest flavored rums of commerce. Some of these very fine rums have been found to contain as high as 1,500 parts of ethers per 100,000 parts of alcohol. These ethers are those of the coordinate alcohols, namely, acetic ether, derived from ethyl alcohol, and the ethers derived chiefly from the higher alcohols, such as butyl, propyl, and amyl.