Unit 5 - Lesson 5 - Rum

Question 1

What are the 2 broad styles of rum?

Answer 1

White and dark

Question 2

What is a light rum?

Answer 2

White rums since they generally are very light and delicate

Question 3

What are heavy rums?

Answer 3

Dark rums since they have significant flavor profiles

Question 4

What is the 1st step after fermentation?

Answer 4

Letting the rum rest in a “beer well” to let the solids settle

Question 5

How is rum distilled?

Answer 5

Batch pot still

Question 6

What are rum distillers objectives?

Answer 6

1. capture alcohol from wash
2. collect congeners
3. raise ABV >60%

Question 7

What is distillation 3 stage process?

Answer 7

1. evaporation
2. condensation
3. collection

Question 8

What is common for rum distillation?

Answer 8

a single distillation

Question 9

Why is the cut important in rum distillation?

Answer 9

Determines the quality of the rum

Question 10

What cut contains the most volatiles?

Answer 10

1st cut

This fraction contains compounds such as methanol and acetaldehyde.

Question 11

What do distillers do with the heads?

Answer 11

saved and recycled into other feed

Question 12

Where are the least volatiles found

Answer 12

in the tails

Question 13

What does the 1st cut of rum do?

Answer 13

Removed heavy oils and fatty acids in the SWAN NECK, Lyne arm and condenser.

Question 14

What are responsible for some of rums natural flavor?

Answer 14

Esters - heavy rums have a wide variety

Question 15

What does more rectification mean?

Answer 15

the more a spirit is rectified the more the lower volatiles get left behind

Question 16

What rums are more rectified?

Answer 16

Light rums

Question 17

How have pot stills evolved?

Answer 17

They are incorporating trays as rectifiers.

Question 18

What does more plates do for rectification?

Answer 18

The more lower volatile compounds are left behind

Question 19

What is a double retort?

Answer 19

triple pot still - found in Caribbean

1. Main Pot
2. Low Wines pot
3. High wines pot

Question 20

How does a Double Retort work?

Answer 20

1. Wash pumped in (8%), heated, vaporized (50%)
2. Some vapor condenses and drops to the low retort pot
3. Vapor leaving low wines retort is 75% ABV
4. Drops into high wines retort and moves to 85% ABV
5. When the final strength is reach and starts to drop, the feints are boiled out to be reused later

Question 21

When are continuous stills used?

Answer 21

For lighter rums

Question 22

How does a continuous still work in rum?

Answer 22

1. Low volatile congeners removed as stillage
2. High volatile congeners removed as heads or vented via a condenser
3. Congeners eg higher alcohols via fusel oils or steam

Question 23

Why use continuous stills?

Answer 23

Stable and consistent product

Question 24

What is used in the Caribbean?

Answer 24

Wooden Coffey stills

Question 25

When are fusel oils typically removed?

Answer 25

around 65-70% ABV

Question 26

When is propanol removed?

Answer 26

Around 70-75% ABV

Question 27

What is a Barbet Still

Answer 27

2 column still - Stripping Column and Rectifying
Designed to minimize accumulation of unwanted congeners
SC has a condenser at the top to strip out heads and sulphur

Question 28

What are light rum distillers systems setup to do?

Answer 28

Can easily produce high quality neutral spirits

Question 29

What is the key difference between light rum making and neutral spirits production?

Answer 29

Light rum <95%

GNS >96%

Question 30

What are the predominate volatile compounds in light rum?

Answer 30

Ethyl acetate