*Rum, Cachaça & Rhum Agricole Flashcards
What is it that all rums are made from?
Sugar Cane
Where does molasses come from?
It’s a by-product of the sugar making industry - a thick, dark gloop. Much like Donald Trump or Bozo Johnson.
How is molasses made?
Sugarcane juice is heated, the sugar crystals that form are removed, what’s left is molasses.
The early process molasses is high quality, the latter process molasses not so good.
Can molasses be fermented immediately ‘as is’?
Nope. It’s too sweet. It needs to be diluted with water.
Crushed sugarcane produces juice.
Rum made from the juice (as opposed to molasses) exhibits what characteristics?
Vegetal, grassy, fruity
What rules exist governing the distillation of rum?
Almost none at all, other than it mustn’t be distilled to a neutral spirit.
What is a ‘Mark’
What is the difference between a light mark and a heavy mark?
A term describing a newly made rum.
Heavy marks: Relatively low ABV.
- What is a Light Mark rum?
2. Common uses for light marks (2)?
- High ABV, often in excess of 90%, light flavour intensity
- Commonly used to make unaged rum and spiced rum.
- When oak matured, they become Golden Rum
What is a Heavy Mark rum (3)?
- Relatively low ABV
- Typically in a Pot Still
- Diverse flavours. Fruity ones are ‘High Ester’ style. Others are more savoury.
Heavy Marks are not oak aged or age worthy. True or false?
Mostly bollocks.
Very few are not oak aged.
Those that are, will age. For a long time.
Describe the aromas (5) of an oak aged Heavy Mark rum?
Pronounced
Bruised fruit, over-ripe banana, Rancio, meat, leather
Often used to blend other rums rather than be sold as is.
What are the standard colour grades for Rum?
GAWD!
White, Golden, Amber, Dark
Describe the blending options for rum (2) ?
Blends contain
- Different marks from the original distillery and…
- from other distilleries.
Post blending for rum, what (3) options are there?
- Filtered. Short aged rums amy have picked up some colour, so the colour is filtered out with Activated Charcoal
- Coloured. The addition of colour using caramel. Many ‘dark’ rums gain colour like this rather than from oak.
- Sweetened. Particularily oak aged rums. The sugar complements the fruity and Rancio aromas.
What is the danger when sweetening rum?
It can become unbalanced.
Rhum Agricole…
- What is it?
- Where must it come from?
- Rum made from fermenting and distilling raw cane juice (short column stills typically)
- The French islands of Martinique and Guadalope
- What is Cachaça?
2. Where does it come from?
- Like Rhum Agricole, it’s made from pressed sugarcane juice
- Brazil
Don’t need to know this for L2:
ABV must be between 38% and 48% and …
… can be matured in barrels made from anyone of 30 different woods.
Spanish style Rum comes from which (4) countries?
Very Good Cuban Pisspot
(V)enezuela (G)uatemala
(C)uba, (P)anama
British style rum come from which (3) countries?
Barbados, Jamaica, Guyana
White rums have any colour removed. How?
Charcoal filtration
Most white rums have pronounced aromas. True or false?
Mostly false.
Most are light in intensity, however tell that to Rhum Agricole or cachaça.
Golden / Amber rums get their colour from caramel colouring. True or False?
Mostly fake nooz.
Golden and Amber rums generally get colour from oak ageing and from blending of Marks.
Caramel is only used to achieve brand consistency.
Most Golden / Amber Rums are medium sweet? True or False?
Yup. True dat.
Dark rums achieve darkness through (2) means. What are they?
- Oak maturation
- Caramel colouring
Look at the price tag…
Dark oak-aged rum’s flavours (4):
Black banana
Meaty
Leather
Rancio
Dark Rum (not gained from oak maturation) flavours?
Mostly sugarcane
British rum, so-called, comes from which former colonies (3)?
Jamaica
Guyana
Barbados
Navy Rum (served diluted with lime until 1970) comes from which (2) former colonies?
Jamaica and Guyana
Which British rum has the highest esters?
Jamaica
“Fruity” Ester Ransen
Why is Jamaican rum blended with Guyana’s to make Navy Rum ?
What principle character does Guyana’s rum impart?
- Jamaican rum is too “pungent” with fruity flavours and aromas.
- Richness, weight and mouthfeel
Apart from making a “fruity, characterful” dark rums… what else does Jamaica do well?
High ester white rums, on a par with Rhum Agricole.
Barbados rum… compare to Jamaica and Guyana
Smoother, softer and less pronounced.
Guyana’s rum… compare to Jamaica
Richer, more suited to prolonged oak aging
Added palate weight and mouthfeel
French rums come from which colonies?
Martinique
Guadeloupe
The rums from Guadeloupe and Martinique are the only rums allowed to be called what?
Rhum Agricole
French rums… characteristics?
Why?
Pronounced vegetal, cane-juice esters
They use cane juice rather than molasses
French white rums, best drunk on their own. True or false?
Nope, most often used as a cocktail ingredient for its exotic, complex aromas.
French Golden rums… characteristics?
Compared to Spanish rum?
Aromatically complex, but mellowed by oak ageing.
Much drier than Spanish rum. Dry / off-dry.
Spanish rum…
- comes mainly from which former Spanish colony?
- Name the others (3)
- Cuba
- Venezuela
- Guatemala
- Panama
Typical style of Spanish rum?
Light to medium intensity, smooth on the palate, much higher ABV
Spanish Golden Rum… style (3)?
- Higher percentage of light marks, vanilla oak character.
- Often has added sugar.
- Medium in aroma intensity
Which country produces the most rum in the world?
Brazil
- What is Brazilian rum called?
- What is it made from?
- Sweeter or Drier?
- Cachaça
- Sugar cane juice
- Slightly sweetened
Cachaça’s characteristics (3)
- Unaged
- Vegetal, grassy, fruity
- Low ABV, often sweetened
Age statements on Rum… what rules exist?
Very few.
One needs to read the label carefully, it must at least be accurate.
Which is the French ex-colony:
- Guadeloupe
- Guatemala
Gaude Loupe
Loupe is a French word for magnifying glass.
You do see clearly now, don’t you?
What ABV might an Overproof rum have?
Sexually Transmitted InfectionS
STIS
100 Proof
Or 57.15% ABV
But it was (a) unreliable and (b) is no longer used.
OK. S=5, T=7, I=1
Spanish rum is called Rhum Agricole. True or False?
It’s French.
Barbadian rums are known as being (2)
Elegant, smooth
Rums from Guyana are known for what style?
Deep, richly flavoured
Which country makes a white rum on a par with Rhum Agricole?
Jamaica
Rhum Agricole… generally dry or sweet?
Dry.
It’s the Spaniards that do sweeter styles
Rums made from sugar cane juice (not molasses) can be expected to have what aromas?
Pronounced, vegetal, grassy and fruit
You have a dark rum that is so pronounced with exaggerated fruity aromas.
- What is the term for a rum with such powerful aromas
- Where’s it very likely to have been made?
- Pungent
2. Jamaica
What are the common flavours you might expect in a Spiced Rum?
Vanilla, Cinnamon
Bacardi is a style of rum associated with which country?
Spanish.
Light intensity, smooth texture
Spanish white rums (like Bacardi) are never oaked.
True or false?
Rubbish!
Despite being made with light marks, it sees some oak, hence some vanilla notes.
Cachaça comes from which country?
Most cachaça is bone dry. True or False?
Brazil… a lot of it is made
Fake nooz. Most often slightly sweetened.
