Rum and Cachaca Flashcards
sugar from
sugar from stems sugar processing by-product, molasses
Rum style when made from sugar cane juice?
pronounced vegetal, grassy and fruity aroma
Rules?
very few apart from not creating a default vodka
Still used?
both Pot and Column
Pot stills create very pungent rum - aka?
high-ester rum
What is the term ‘Mark’?
Mark is a individual, newly made rum.
Light marks - made how and style?
Column stills to 90%+abv Light flavour intensity most are unaged rum some oak matured and used in golden rum
Heavy marks - made how and style?
Pot stills normally (variety of style of pot still) Distilled to relatively low strength Range from very fruity to rich an savoury Mostly used for blends.
Heavy mark rums and maturation?
Typically oak matured -some long time = bruised fruit, over-ripe banana, and rancio flavours
Are rums mostly blends?
yes
Blending options
different distilleries different marks
Other than blending what other options are available for influencing style?
- Charcoal filtration to remove colour - for short aged rums.
- Caramel colouring
- sweetened with addition of sugar - but balance to be considered. sweetness needs to compliment fruity aromas and rancio aromas.
Caribbean Rum - categorisation?
By colour. By historical and cultural influences
Rum colours
Colours?
Manipulates?
(easily manipulated - enhance or reduce, so not a great way of classifying, esp as so few rules).
- White - water white/colourless (charcoal filtered if after oak maturation). Light typically - can be pronounced.
- Golden/amber - oak maturation/ caramel adjustments. Many med sweet.
- Dark - long oak maturation = black banana, meaty, leather flavours of rancio …. or from lots of caramel colouring/ shorter maturation. Some even unaged. Sugar cane aromas only.
Cultural influences… British - names and styles?
Heavy marks, Jamaica and Guyana. each different style but then blended.
- Jamaica - high-ester rums (high marks). Also makes high-ester white rum (a match for rhum agricole for aroma intensity)
- Guyana - also high ester, rich style best oak aged long time
- Barbados - less pronounced - softer/smoother
Cultural influences… French - names and styles?
- Martinique and Guadeloupe.
- Can be labelled rhum agricole. - using sugar cane juice = pronounced vegetal cane juice character.
- Most dry or off-dry white rums very pronounced.
- some matured and mellowed typically drier than the Spanish style.
Cultural influences… Spanish - names and styles?
- Light to medium intensity, higher abvs Smooth on palate.
- White rums in ‘Cuban’ style.
- Short aged.
- Favoured in cocktails. Bacardi (B4 going to Puerto Rico)
- Golden - smooth / with high percentage of light marks , with obvious vanilla character.
- Smoothness also gained by addition of sugar.
- medium aroma
Where is Cachaca made? Made with what?
- Brazil.
- Sugar cane juice.
- High volume.
- Wide variety in style.
- Most vegetal, grassy, fruity.
- Distilled to low strength.
- Most slightly sweetened.
Jamaica - cultural association and style?
British. High fruity ester
Barbados - cultural association and style?
British very elegant and smooth
Guyana - cultural association and style?
British deep richly flavoured
Martinique - cultural association and style?
French rhum agricole pronounced vegetal sugar cane fruity
Guadeloupe - cultural association and style?
French rhum agricole pronounced vegetal sugar cane fruity
Cuba - cultural association and style?
Spanish lighter style
C and S America - Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela
Spanish smooth, medium sweet
Age terms - reliable?
no. varies from producer to producer.
What does overproof mean?
57.5% abv - point at which would burn with gunpowder. = 100% proof. Under proof <57.5 Overproof >57.5 NB not used as a regulator of alcohol. also not same as other Proof measurement
Light vs. Heavy Marks
Light - Distilled to a high strength. Distilled in column stills. Widely used in production of unaged rums but also play a role in some golden rums. Heavy - Distilled to low strength. Distilled in pot or short column stills. Used in both productions but more commonly in oak matured rums.
British Style Rum
Heavy marks required by the British Navy. Two important sources were Jamaica & Guyana. Jamaica traditionally know for high-ester rums. Barbados also produced British style but much smoother.
French Style Rum
French islands of Martinique & Guadeloupe. Only rums that can label themselves Rhum Agricole (made from sugar cane juice instead of molasses). Pronounced vegetal esters
Spanish Style Rum
Medium intensity, mostly described as Cuban in style. Bacardi was a pioneer but since has moved to Puerto Rico.
