SPIRITS: Rum, Rhum, Ron

Question 1

Most traditional distillation technique for rum?

Answer 1

Pot-still/batch distillation

Question 2

Term for the residue left after distillation in a potstill?

Answer 2

Dunder
*Jamaican rum commonly adds dunder to active ferment to add more character to final distillate

Question 3

What type of rum would most likely be aged in French limousin oak?

Answer 3

Rhum agricole

Question 4

What is ouillage? Why is this important for the process of making rum?

Answer 4

Topping up of the barrels. In warm tropical places, the angels’ share accounts for about 10% loss per year - whereas a cooler place like Scotland only sees about 2%

Question 5

What is spiced rum typically spiced with?

Answer 5

Vanilla
Cinnamon
Rosemary
Pepper
Aniseed
*oft sweetened with sugar and honey

Question 6

Cachaça

Answer 6

Brazil’s “rum”
*simliar to rhum agricole
.. made from freshly pressed sugar cane juice, with a finished ABV of 38% to 54% with up to 6g/l added sugar.
*Caipirinha

Question 7

Name a brand of Cachaça.

Answer 7

Pitu
Leblon
Ypioca
Abelha
Cachaça 51
Canario
Avua

Question 8

Clairin

Answer 8

Traditional Haitian rum
*resembles agricole
*Made with fresh sugar cane juice thickened over a fire of bagasse (spent cane stalks) and then naturally fermented.

Always distilled 2x and typically bottled undiluted with an ABV between 50% and 60%

Question 9

Angostura

Answer 9

Trinidad
Top bottling: Legacy - made using 7 blends with the youngest aged 17 years. It auctioned at a starting price point of $25k/bottle

Question 10

Gargano Classification

Answer 10

A movement to adopt labelling terms to rum, comparable to the terms used for whiskey, to help the customer recognize quality levels.

Pure single rum (pot still), single blended (pot + column), Traditional rum (column still), and Modern Rum (multi-column still) are the proposed designations

Question 11

Appleton Estate

Answer 11

Jamaica
Appleton 50 Year ($6k retail)
Fun fact! Joy Spence is the master blender on duty - the first woman in the world to become a master blender

Question 12

Trivia: what is Black Tot Day?

Answer 12

July 31 1970 - the day the 300yr old naval tradition of providing sailors with a 2x/day rum ration ended

Question 13

Captain Morgan

Answer 13

Identifies with Jamaica, established by Seagrams, 1944
Production moved to Puerto Rico in 2001 for tax reasons. The bulk of output is produced in St. Croix.
Now owned by Diageo

Question 14

El Dorado

Answer 14

Guyana
English style rum

Question 15

Demerara River is where?

Answer 15

Guyana

Question 16

Gosling’s

Answer 16

Bermuda
*the original blend would become the Black Seal. Goslings is one of the few spirits that has managed to obtain a copyright for a cocktail of their own - the Dark n Stormy
*they give no info on sourcing and aging. All we know is that they use both a pot still and a column still

Question 17

Hampden Estate

Answer 17

Jamaica
* known for heavy pot-stilled rums with prominent esters

Question 18

Mount Gay

Answer 18

Barbados
Rum

Question 19

Pusser’s Rum

Answer 19

Virgin Islands

Question 20

Wray & Nephew

Answer 20

Jamaica
Known for White Overproof Rum

Question 21

Barbancourt

Answer 21

Haiti
*French, but uses molasses. The founder was inspired by Cognac, so they use a double distillation method. This French rum breaks away from the classic vegetal rhum agricole profile

Question 22

Clément

Answer 22

Martinique
This is one of the biggest names in Rhum Agricole. They do a number of special editions and single casks.

Question 23

Rhum JM

Answer 23

Martinique

Question 24

3 Rhum from Martinique

Answer 24

Rhum JM
Trois Rivières
Neisson

Question 25

Ron Abuelo

Answer 25

Panama Rum *virgen honey distilled in column stills.

Question 26

Bacardi was originally a brand from what country?

Answer 26

Cuba *the main office is now in Bermuda. They haven't been active in Cuba since nationalization. The OG distillery now bottles under the name Caney

Question 27

Brugal

Answer 27

Dominican Republic Rum

Question 28

Rum from the original Bacardi distillery is sold under what name?

Answer 28

Caney (Cuba)

Question 29

Ron Centenario

Answer 29

Costa Rica Rum

Question 30

Cruzan

Answer 30

St Croix Rum

Question 31

Dictador

Answer 31

Colombia, Rum *they sell some of the most expensive luxury bottlings of rum

Question 32

Diplomatico

Answer 32

Venezuela Rum

Question 33

Don Q is from ________?

Answer 33

Puerto Rico *used to create the first Pina Colada in 1954

Question 34

Flor de Caña

Answer 34

Nicaragua *very problematic for their treatment of workers, receiving a lot of unwanted attention for it in 2015 *they also removed the term "years" from their bottles, leading to suspicious age statement

Question 35

Zacapa

Answer 35

Guatemala

Question 36

Scotch Rum

Answer 36

Cadenhead *the oldest existing independent bottler of Scotch AND they have a wide range of rum. They do not add anything to their products and they do not chill filter.

Question 37

Stroh

Answer 37

Inländer Rum from Austria Popular in Austria, Hungary and Germany Best known alcohol brand from Austria *made from Molasses with all kinds of color and flavor added

Question 38

Indian Rum

Answer 38

Amrut Old Monk McDowell's No. 1 Celebration

Question 39

Barbados Rum

Answer 39

Foursquare Distillery Mount Gay Rum Distillery West Indies Rum Distiller Ltd. brands... Bumbu, Malibu, Cockspur

Question 40

Cuban Rum

Answer 40

Havana Club Legendario Ron Caney

Question 41

Rum from Haiti

Answer 41

Rhum Barbancourt Rhum 1716 Rhum Vieux Labbé

Question 42

Jamaican Rum

Answer 42

Wray & Nephew Appleton Estate Hampden

Question 43

Rum from Guyana

Answer 43

El Dorado Hamilton Pyrat

Question 44

Rum from Panama

Answer 44

Ron Abuelo Caña Brava Don Pancho Zaffra

Question 45

Venezuelan Rum

Answer 45

Diplomatico

Question 46

Martinique AOP requires that rhum be made from what materials? Min. age for sugarcane field?

Answer 46

Saccharum officinarum or Saccharum spontaneum or hybrids of both Min 10 years age for field

Question 47

Rhum Martinique AOP requires what type of still for distillation?

Answer 47

Continuous Reflux Column

Question 48

Aging requirement for Rhum Martinique Blanc?

Answer 48

Min. 8 weeks in tank following distillation

Question 49

"élevés sous bois" mean for a bottle of Rhum Martinique?

Answer 49

Min. 12 months in wood (requirement of the presence of min. 250g/l volatile elements other than ethyl/methyl alcohol) Neisson makes the most popular example. A roller coaster of flavor.

Question 50

"vieux" Rhum Martinique?

Answer 50

Min. 3 years in an oak cask of less than 650 liters with a minimum of 325 g/hl in volatile elements other than ethyl and methyl alcohol - Clement makes a number of examples. - Can be used in conjunction with XO/VO, age statements, etc.

Question 51

Aging requirement for VO Rhum Martinique?

Answer 51

Min. 3 years in oak

Question 52

Rhum Martinique aged for a min. 3 years in oak?

Answer 52

VO

Question 53

Rhum Martinique aged for a min. 4 years in oak?

Answer 53

VSOP Réserve Spéciale Cuvée Spéciale Très Vieux

Question 54

Rhum Martinique aged for a min. 6 years in oak?

Answer 54

XO Hors d’Age Extra Vieux Grande Réserve

Question 55

Aging requirement for XO Rhum Agricole?

Answer 55

Min. 6 years in oak aka Hors d'Age, Extra Vieux, Grande Reserve

Question 56

Aging requirement for VINTAGE Rhum Agricole ?

Answer 56

Min. 6 years in oak (650L or less). The vintage is the year of distillation

Question 57

TTB's ABV range for rum? EU's?

Answer 57

80° to 190° aka 40 - 95% EU = min. 37.5%

Question 58

What is Lemon Hart 151?

Answer 58

A caramel-colored, overproof rum distilled in Guyana and bottled in Canada preferred for tiki cocktails - it is heavier than other 151's made

Question 59

Type of still for Martinique Rhum

Answer 59

continuous reflux column still