Rum and Cachaca

Question 1

sugar from

Answer 1

sugar from stems sugar processing by-product, molasses

Question 2

Rum style when made from sugar cane juice?

Answer 2

pronounced vegetal, grassy and fruity aroma

Question 3

Rules?

Answer 3

very few apart from not creating a default vodka

Question 4

Still used?

Answer 4

both Pot and Column

Question 5

Pot stills create very pungent rum - aka?

Answer 5

high-ester rum

Question 6

What is the term ‘Mark’?

Answer 6

Mark is a individual, newly made rum.

Question 7

Light marks - made how and style?

Answer 7

Column stills to 90%+abv Light flavour intensity most are unaged rum some oak matured and used in golden rum

Question 8

Heavy marks - made how and style?

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Heavy mark rums and maturation?

Answer 9

Typically oak matured -some long time = bruised fruit, over-ripe banana, and rancio flavours

Question 10

Are rums mostly blends?

Answer 10

yes

Question 11

Blending options

Answer 11

different distilleries different marks

Question 12

Other than blending what other options are available for influencing style?

Answer 12

• 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.

Question 13

Caribbean Rum - categorisation?

Answer 13

By colour. By historical and cultural influences

Question 14

Rum colours

Colours?

Manipulates?

Answer 14

(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.

Question 15

Cultural influences… British - names and styles?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Cultural influences… French - names and styles?

Answer 16

• 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.

Question 17

Cultural influences… Spanish - names and styles?

Answer 17

• 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

Question 18

Where is Cachaca made? Made with what?

Answer 18

• Brazil.
• Sugar cane juice.
• High volume.
• Wide variety in style.
• Most vegetal, grassy, fruity.
• Distilled to low strength.
• Most slightly sweetened.

Question 19

Jamaica - cultural association and style?

Answer 19

British. High fruity ester

Question 20

Barbados - cultural association and style?

Answer 20

British very elegant and smooth

Question 21

Guyana - cultural association and style?

Answer 21

British deep richly flavoured

Question 22

Martinique - cultural association and style?

Answer 22

French rhum agricole pronounced vegetal sugar cane fruity

Question 23

Guadeloupe - cultural association and style?

Answer 23

French rhum agricole pronounced vegetal sugar cane fruity

Question 24

Cuba - cultural association and style?

Answer 24

Spanish lighter style

Question 25

C and S America - Guatemala, Panama, Venezuela

Answer 25

Spanish smooth, medium sweet

Question 26

Age terms - reliable?

Answer 26

no. varies from producer to producer.

Question 27

What does overproof mean?

Answer 27

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

Question 28

Light vs. Heavy Marks

Answer 28

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.

Question 29

British Style Rum

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

French Style Rum

Answer 30

French islands of Martinique & Guadeloupe. Only rums that can label themselves Rhum Agricole (made from sugar cane juice instead of molasses). Pronounced vegetal esters

Question 31

Spanish Style Rum

Answer 31

Medium intensity, mostly described as Cuban in style. Bacardi was a pioneer but since has moved to Puerto Rico.