Dark, black or golden rum starts off as the same clear spirit that makes light rum. However, instead of being filtered and bottled right after being distilled, dark rums are aged first. by aging the rum in charred oak or wooden barrels for a period of time, they end up with a darker color and a bolder flavor. The longer the rum is aged, the darker it is. Rum that isn’t aged as long may be called golden. Rum can also be darker if molasses, burnt sugar or caramel is added for color and flavor.