The rise of Taiwanese rum
Taiwanese rum distillers aren’t just replicating; they’re reinventing. Leona De Pasquale finds out more.
More than two decades after the end of Taiwan’s 80-year state alcohol monopoly, the island’s wine and spirits scene has never been more dynamic. Since liberalisation in 2002, a new generation of distillers has embraced a newfound identity, crafting spirits from local ingredients such as millet and sweet potato. Now, with its subtropical climate and deep-rooted connection to sugarcane, Taiwan is making a bold new case for itself as a rising force in the world of rum.
Once a symbol of colonial trade, sugarcane is being rediscovered for its flavour, cultural legacy and economic potential. When the Dutch arrived in 1624, they cultivated sugarcane, processed it into sugar, and exported it to Japan, where it was exchanged for porcelain and silk before being resold in Europe at a premium.
Sugarcane’s importance endured for centuries. Founded in 1946, the state-owned Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) once oversaw 42 factories. Today, only two remain in operation. Despite this decline, fresh cane juice is still a cherished staple of Taiwanese night markets, pressed to order and served over ice with lemon. For many, it is a nostalgic taste of childhood.
Yet the numbers paint a stark picture. Taiwan consumes around 600,000 tonnes of sugar annually, with TSC supplying about half, mostly from imported raw materials. Locally grown cane yields just 50,000 tonnes of sugar, and total cultivation has shrunk to 8,000 hectares. Sugar remains strategically important, but price controls have made domestic production economically unsustainable. Currently, one millilitre of cane juice is worth less than a tenth of a penny.
This is where diversification comes in. TSC commissioned Professor Chen Chien-Hao, a Burgundy-trained oenologist and winemaker behind Taiwan’s award-winning fortified wines, to reposition sugarcane as a premium ingredient.
Working with students from Kaohsiung University of Hospitality, where he teaches, and together with the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute, the team planted the ROC24 varietal in southern Taiwan — a hardy native cane with improved resistance to disease. The cane was harvested by hand, then cleaned, pressed, fermented, and distilled in a Cognac-style Charentais still with the same precision used in winemaking.
The results were remarkable. Two rhum agricoles, crafted from fresh cane juice, were produced. The first, Pur Jus de Canne de Formose Cœur de chauffe Ambré, was aged for four years in barrels that previously held Taiwan’s acclaimed Golden Muscat fortified wine from Domaine Shu Sheng. The other, bottled without ageing, showcased fresh cane at its most vibrant and aromatic. Both won Grand Gold at the 2025 Vinalies Internationales, hosted by the Œnologues de France.
In Professor Chen’s hands, one millilitre of cane juice — once worth far less than a penny — can now command up to 25 pence, representing more than a 200-fold increase in value. For TSC and local cane farmers, the medals are more than symbolic; they prove that premium spirits have the potential to revive Taiwan’s struggling cane industry.
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While Professor Chen’s vision draws on terroir and winemaking finesse in the south, a very different approach is emerging near the capital in the north. It is urban, technical, and unapologetically experimental.
Jeng-Ing Chen, co-founder of Funny Distillery, returned to Taiwan in 2024 after more than a decade in China, where he helped build a landmark distillery in Sichuan. Trained at Heriot-Watt University with an MSc in Brewing and Distilling, he set out not to replicate rum traditions but to reimagine them. Drawing on his background in Scotch whisky and Chinese baijiu, his team created what may be the world’s first baijiu-style rums.
Earlier this year, Funny Distillery released two white rums. Clear they may be, but neutral they are not. Adopting Chinese baijiu’s aroma classification and a similarly styled bottle, their ambition is unmistakable.
The distillery uses two fermentation methods inspired by baijiu. The first, solo mashing, ferments Taiwanese golden sugar with a small amount of malted barley, then double-distils the wash to produce a clean, fruity base. The second, mixed mashing, incorporates stillage from a previous distillation into a new batch, layering rich esters and funky depth through multiple cycles.
Blending these two techniques in varying proportions, they created two distinct profiles: the Mild Flavour White Rum (42% ABV), which is crisp and gastronomic, with notes of fresh cane and green apple skin; and the Sauce Flavour White Rum (53%), which is bold and savoury, with layers of caramel, coconut, mint chocolate and umami tang.
Both expressions are unaged and rest only briefly to harmonise. The focus is on process-driven flavour, not barrel influence. That said, new experiments are underway, including a rum aged in 25-litre clay jars previously used to mature Shaoxing yellow wine, set to launch this autumn.
“We are not here to imitate Jamaican or Martinican rums,” says Jeng-Ing. “We want to build something only Taiwan can produce, through culture, climate and process.”
The team also challenges conventional thinking. “Is a rum still rum if it smells like baijiu? Is baijiu still baijiu if it is made from sugarcane?” For Jeng-Ing, this is more than a rhetorical question; it is a blueprint for how Taiwan might define its own identity in the world of rum.
Taiwanese rum is not following a single path. One approach is rooted in terroir and tradition. The other is driven by technique and science. Together, they do more than revive sugarcane. They reinvent it. For the first time, Taiwan is not simply catching up in the global rum scene, but setting its own terms.
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