On Tuesday, November 12, 2013 8:16:07 AM UTC+10, pure kona wrote:
>
> I do think they make some rum out of cane sugar but I have never had
> any.

Cane molasses is the usual source for rum. Some rum is made with cane juice (and some "rums" made with cane juice are usually distinguished from rum by the use of cane juice instead of molasses. E.g., cachaça.) It's a waste of energy (and therefore money) to convert the cane juice to sugar and then mix it back with water to make rum; just ferment the juice as is, or use molasses (which is a by-product).

We have a shortage of good rum in Australia - we make lots, and export lots, but unfortunately most of that is not good rum. But as a rum producer, we import less. Not too bad, can find good Caribbean rums, and occasionally others, such as Filipino rums. There are some good local rums, too, but they're not as popular as the bad local rums.