Rum is produced by fermentation and distillation after which the ageing and the Assembly of the waters of life ensue.
Two categories are also differentiated with different organoleptic properties, because of their aromas which are linked to two distinct raw materials.
The agricultural rum, which is a sugar cane alcohol, produced by fermentation and distilling of the juice of the cane, also called Vesou. It is distilled in the West Indies as well as in Mauritius and Réunion and some Latin American countries.
Industrial or artisanal rum, which is a molasses rum (residues of the sugar industry) it is also called candy rum or traditional rum,. It is mainly produced in regions of Spanish or English culture. (one variant is the use of a syrup obtained by evaporation and concentration of Vesou; it is referred to as "cane honey", used for example for rum from Guatemala and Venezuela).
The organoleptic characteristics of a rum are mainly defined by its method of production, although the idea of terroir is also an important concept.