Rum Flashcards
What liquor can be made from sugar- cane juice or Molasses?
Rum
Name and describe the 3 basic types of Rum
Golden and Spiced Rum- Color from oak maturation and flavoured with spices. Dark Rum- fermentation started with Dundee and matured in wood for 5-7 yrs. adjusted with caramel. White or Silver Rum- Distilled in continuous still and matures 1 yrs in glass or stainless steel
History- Rum
17th: Caribbean sugar rush for the ‘white gold’. Remainders of sugar molasses distilled to maximise return
18th: Rum fashionable in smart UK as equal to Brandy. Europe increasingly dependent on sugar
18th-mid 19th: Barbados then Jamaica then Haiti and finally Cuba each dominated sugar & rum production
1862: Don Facunado Bacardi produced the 1st light rum in Santiago (Cuba). At that time:
Jamaica -> intense & pungent ; Guyana -> Rich & sweet ; Barbados -> slightly more delicate
20th: Cuba dominating with boost from Prohibition but didn’t build on success until recent resurgence.
Raw Material- Rum
Cane either hand or mechanically cut and then crushed to extract juice. Juice then boiled down to sugar crystals.
Black residue = molasses. 2.5kg molasses => 1L of rum 57% abv
Cane juice / concentrated can juice or molasses.
Preparation- Rum
Molasses have a v. hi concentration of sugar so yeast would not survive
Molasses after first diluted with water before fermentation. The more dilution, the less sugar, the lighter the rum. Usually 50/50
Fermentation- Rum
Addition of yeasts, usually own strains from producers. 24h for light rums / up to 14 days for dark rums
Short fermentation for light rums and longer fermentation for heavier rums with more congeners devt.
Distillation- Rum
Light / white rums (Coffey stills single or multiple linked)
Column stills allow to collect spirit at lower strength w fruitier flavours (e.g. Havana Club / Bacardi) White rums usually unaged
Medium bodied / Golden rums: often pot / column or both. Colour from oak or spirit caramel
Heavy / Dark rums (pot stills)
Usually made from longer ferments.
Use of retorts to produce higher strength spirit after 1 distillation
Use of hi and low wines from previous distillation:
1. Alcohol vapour from pot into low wine retort that contains low wine + water
2. Second retort (hi wine retort) where vapour is condensed
3. Heart of spirit collected @ 85% abv. Rest used for redistillation.
Maturation- Rum
White rums: no time in oak with some exceptions e.g. Bacardi first aged and then filtered to remove colour
Light rums: only a few months to avoid oak dominated flavours
Pot still rums: longer maturation to develop rich tropical aromas.
1 yr ageing in Caribbean = 3 years in Scotland due to tropical conditions. Angel’s share: 6% of evaporated abv/year.
Oak: mainly US from bourbon industry excl. rhum agricole (Cognac French oak barrels).
Light- Cuba and Latin America (Rum)
Bacardi (#1 brand w 20m cs/yr)
- Light bodied, clean, floral, delicate rum.
- Undisputed leader in volume. 1st produced in Cuba by Don Bacardi.
- Fermentation with own yeast strains. Made from molasses + distilled in linked columns. Charcoal filtering after distillation + ageing even on whites
Latin America: mainly light styles
Havana Club (#4 brand): Mix of 75% abv aguardiente & 96% abv spirit after ageing for more complexity
Light- Trinidad (Rum)
Close to Latin American style despite proximity to Guyana
Dominated by Angostura.
Use of molasses + hi tech multiple columns for 6 different styles of rum.
Medium- Barbados (Rum)
Historically, 1st major volume rum producer.
Medium-weight, sweetish, elegant perfumed rums. Typical use of rich pot-stilled distillate in the blend.
3 distilleries: 1. Mount Gay 2. West Indies rum distillery (rum for Malibu + Cockspur) 3. Foursquare (Field’s #1 white rum)
Rich- Guyana (Rum)
Rum distilling since 1650 (UK colony). Traditional ‘Navy blends’ i.e. richer, heavier, darker style e.g. Demerara.
Pot & column stills. Recent rise of El Dorado brand and now wide breadth of styles.
Rich- Jamaica
Long heritage of rich, aromatic rums, mostly produced in pot stills where fermentation as long as 14 days.
Specific process with use of dunder to boost acid and flavour creation -> Home of high ester rums pungent (e.g. Wray & Nephew). Appleton Estate distillery’s Appleton extra -> notes of leather, honey spices tobacco & dried fruits
Rhum agricole (Guadeloupe, Martinique)
Made from cane sugar juice (≠molasses). 1st made in early 20th.
Juice extracted from cane sugar straight to fermenters. Short fermentation => vesou (wash) 4.5-9%abv. Distillation in single column still (// Armagnacais still) => lower strength distillate. AC Martinique -> 65% ˂ distillate ˂ 75%abv
Different styles according to: 1. Fermentation time 2. Sugar levels in wash 3. Shape & config of column
Whites -> unaged & often mixed w lime & sugar for ti’punch cocktail. Ambre/Paille: min 18mths ageing. Vieux: min 3 yrs
Pungent w aromas of unripe banana, apple & vegetal notes (grass)+ slightly oily texture.
Rhum Industriel (Guadeloupe/ Martinique/ Le Reunion)
Use of molasses. Mainly from La Réunion. Soft style.
Navy Blends- Rum
Captain Morgan (Diageo - #2 brand) from Jamaica.
Light column still rum blended with Demarara-style rum + Jamaican rum + sweet caramel. Slight treacle finish.
Other Rums
Other rums: Philippines (Tanduay - #3 brand worldwide), India, South Africa & Australia.
Rum- definition
A distilled spirit produced from fermented sugarcane or molasses, a byproduct of processing sugarcane into sugar.
Rum- History
Although rum is now produced internationally, the style originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, and spread to Central and South America.
Four Styles of Rum…..
light rum, dark rum, Demerara rum, and rhum agricole.
Light Rum
Most light rum is distilled by the continuous method and filtered with charcoal after a short period of cask aging to remove any color; it is best suited for mixing, as it has little character. However, some light styles, such as Mount Gay from Barbados, are golden in color and have gained complexity from time in cask.
Demerara Rum
Is a light rum style unique to Guyana, where the spirit is distilled from molasses and sometimes aged for over a decade prior to release. Cachaça, the Brazilian spirit that provides the base for the caipirinha cocktail, is produced from fermented sugarcane and is essentially light rum
Dark Rum
Dark rum is fuller in body, obviously darker in color, and dominated by more complex caramel notes, rather than the simple suggestion of sweetness in most light rums. Quality dark rums, such as those produced in Jamaica, may be distilled twice in pot stills and aged for a number of years prior to release; this darkens the spirit but the final color is almost always achieved by adding caramel.
Rhum Agricole
Is a French style, produced mainly on Martinique—the Martinique AOC can claim to be the southernmost Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée in France, despite its location in the sunny Caribbean! Rhum agricole may only be produced from sugarcane juice; column distillation is mandated in Martinique. Spiced rums, such as the ubiquitous Captain Morgan, are flavored with the addition of spice or fruit.
Rum
As rum is such a global it is very loosely defined, when compared with other spirits. For simplicity, and on account of their importance as trading blocs, we will focus on only two jurisdictions; the EU and the USA. Rum is any spirit that is produced from a sugar cane product (juice, molasses or syrup).
Rum- European Union
Distillation- It must be distilled to a strength of no less than 96% abv.
Bottling- It must have a minimum bottling strength of 37.5% abv.
Flavouring- The is not permitted. Caramel is only for the benefit of colour adjustment.
Labeling Term: Agricole- This is defined as any rum distilled from fermented sugar cane juice in any of the French Overseas Departments and the region of Madiera.
Rum- USA
Distillation- It must be distilled to a strength of less than 95% abv (190 degrees proof). The distillate should possess the same aromas, taste and other characteristics generally associated with rum.
Bottling- It must have a minimum bottling strength of 40% abv (80 degrees proof).
Rhum Agricole
In EU law, rhum auricle is defined as being any rum distilled from fermented sugar- cane juice in any of the French Overseas Departments and the region of Madiera. The island of Martinique has its own detailed Appellation d’Originee Control (AOC).
AOC Rhum Martinique
Distillation- This must take place in a continuous column still, with a minimum of 20 plates. The new make spirit must be between 65% and 75% abv.
Maturation- All rhum must either be tested for three months after distillation, becoming rhum blanc, or be matured in oak.
Finishing- Any rum with the origin of ‘Martinique’ cannot be sold at an alcoholic strength of less than 40% abv.
Labelling Terms:
- Blanc
- Eleve sous bois: This must be aged for a minimum of 12 months in oak. Paille/ ambre are sometimes seen on labels but are not defined in the law
- Vieux: This aged for a minimum of three years in oak casks with a capacity of less than 650L.
