Rum, Tequila, Mezcal

Question 1

What is Rum?

Answer 1

A distilled spirit produced from fermented sugarcane or molasses

Question 2

What is molasses

Answer 2

A byproduct of pressing sugarcane into sugar

Question 3

Where/When did the style of rum originate?

Answer 3

The Caribbean in 17th C

Question 4

Four major styles of rum:

Answer 4

Light
Dark
Demerara
rhum agricole

Question 5

How is light rum distilled/processed?

Answer 5

Usually by continuous still and filtered with charcoal after cask aging to remove color

Question 6

Where is Mount Gay from? What color is it?

Answer 6

Barbados

Golden colored light rum from time in cask

Question 7

What is Demerara rum?

Answer 7

• Light rum unique to Guyana
• Distilled from molasses
• can be aged over 10 years before release

Question 8

What is Cachaça?

Answer 8

• Brazilian spirit
• produced from fermented sugarcane
• essentially light rum
• base of caipirinha

Question 9

Where are quality dark rums from?

Answer 9

Jamaica

Question 10

How are dark rums distilled/aged? What gives it color

Answer 10

• Can be distilled twice in pot still and aged number of years before release
• usually has caramel color added

Question 11

What is Rhum Agricole?

Answer 11

• French style
• produced mainly on Martinique (AOC)
• produced from sugarcane juice
• column distillation mandated in Martinique

Question 12

What can claim to be the southernmost AOC in France?

Answer 12

Martinique AOC in the Caribbean!

Question 13

Where in Mexico is Tequila primarily produced?

Answer 13

Western state of Jalisco

Question 14

Other states where tequila is produced

Answer 14

• Guanajuato
• Tamaulipas
• Nayarit
• Michoacán

Question 15

What is tequila made from?

Answer 15

• Fermented juice of cooked piña, the heart of the blue agave
• can be 100% high quality
• must be 51% blue agave

Question 16

What does mixto indicate on a tequila label?

Answer 16

• Not 100% blue agave

- must be 51!

Question 17

How is tequila distilled?

Answer 17

Either twice in traditional pot still or in continuous

Question 18

Aging requirements for:

• blanco
• reposado
• añejo
• extra añejo

Answer 18

• blanco - bottled immediately after distillation
• reposado - 60 days to 1 year in oak cask
• añejo - 1-3 years in oak cask
• extra añejo - min 3 years in oak cask

Question 19

What is Mezcal?

Answer 19

the distilled liquor produced from fermented agave

Question 20

Where is Mezcal primarily made?

Answer 20

State of Oaxaca, but DO encompasses 9 states

Question 21

Who governs Mezcal production?

Answer 21

Consejo Regulador del Mezcal

Question 22

What is the most common Agave used in Mezcal production? Why?

Answer 22

• Agave Espadín (agave angustifolia)

- matures in 6-8 yrs, easy to cultivate

Question 23

What is the genus/species of blue agave?

Answer 23

agave tequiliana

Question 24

Some other sought after semic-ultivated and wild varieties of agave for Mezcal production?

Answer 24

Arronqueño
Tobalá
Tepeztate
Agave Karwinskii

Question 25

What are three labeling categories for Mezcal est in 2016?

Answer 25

Mezcal - can refer to industrially made

Mezcal Artesanal - limit production - quality minded or traditional techniques
Mezcal Ancestral - “