Why are the cheapest rums usually in taller bottles than the best rums?

Rene: In 1989, I cried when vinyls were no longer made and I was forced to switch to CD's. A few years later after learning to love my lightweight CD's, I wound up selling most of my vinyl albums. However, I did buy the book on what made each album valuable and only kept about a two foot section that I still have. Some are worth thousands, but I am in no hurry to sell, if at all. My CD collection is now huge and I will never part with them, even if the best of them have all been ripped to MP3. Memories of my old vinyl collection have also inspired me to drink my rums instead of collecting them. What you see in this cabinet is finally set up for sampling on this Super Bowl Sunday. Five of these bottles were just opened this morning. Go Chiefs!!!!

Well, here are my three hypotheses. 1) Appealing to naval origins of rum - a short, squat bottle has obvious advantages to a tall, thinner one onboard of a ship tortured by endless waves - it's more stable, less likely to topple, roll somewhere and break, with its flammable contents potentially creating a disaster. Although simple rum for the crew did not use bottles at all, being stored in barrels in the cargo hold, and then diluted in a huge tub (with "God Save the King!" written on it in royal navy), and finally transferred to those small metallic mugs sailors used for rum rations, the good stuff, be it aged rum, port, cognac or expensive whiskey in the captain's cabin was always in that squat bottle, reserved for important guests and serious talks. 2) Similarity with human physiology - today, it's different, but throughout the history, being a portly, round fellow meant some sort of social importance and status. One had to posses substantial assets to eat well enough to grow a belly, and at the same time afford being less mobile and exert less energy - a working man or a peasant ate humble rations and worked with his hands whole day, so he seldom grew fat. Italians have a phrase "a man with a belly", meaning someone with wisdom, influence and wealth, Japanese term "hara" speaks not only about the size of one's stomach, but also about his spiritual balance, his mental stability and conviction. If you see Buddha's statues, he is not depicted as an ascetic athlete - on the contrary, though he allegedly spent time meditating and living an ascetic life. So similarly, a squat, portly bottle decorated with gold or ornamental lettering should probably be associated with value, with a prized, treasured object, a result of sustained effort and care. 3) Effect on the color - since darker liquor is (incorrectly) considered longer aged, and thus more valuable (the liberal use of caramel coloring not only in rum industry negates that), it's advantageous to use a short, thicker bottle, because the light passes through greater volume of the rum, which then seems darker than in a tall, thin bottle.

Kamamura: That is absolutely brilliant!!!! However, I would like to add that tall skinny bottles are much easier for bartenders in the USA to grab.

Yes, but the bottles US bartenders grab are usually not bottles of premium, aged, and expensive rums. It you have to pour 20 daiquiris for a party of guests, you will probably reach for some younger Flor de Cana rum, Havana Club Anejo, Bacardi or perhaps Brugal - all in conveniently tall bottles, easy to grab and control with a flick of a wrist, often with a stopper at the neck of the bottle to prevent unscrupulous "refills". If you notice bottles of young Flor de Cana, they are even rectangular, so that they are easier to pack into creates and fill economically space in rows on bar shelves. On the other hand, premium bottles often command a lot of space for themselves, being crown jewels of a home bar or a private collection. BTW I was surprise how few really good bottles bar often have. It just does not sell.

Kamamura: Most bars in the USA assume that most rum drinkers don't give a rat's ass about which rum that they drink or get in their mojito or other mixed drink. With this basic assumption, it is simply not cost effective to stock premium rums for the mostly bourbon drinking public where I live. However, specially designated rum bars will pride themselves in their expensive rum collection. There are only two of these places where I live near a city of a half million people (and all are closed due to the pandemic).

@Kamamura Great hypotheses ! Interesting thoughts.