Rum

Preparation

The sugarcane molasses is first diluted with clean water so that complete fermentation would yield an alcohol fraction of 7% to 8%. Next, this solution is fermented. Depending on the method, this takes 2 to even 12 days. Slow fermentation produces a product with more higher alcohols and esters than fast fermentation. The rum is then distilled in a so-called pot still (batch process) or a column still (continuous process). In the pot stills, which provide alcohol percentages of around 80-88%, the more aromatic rums are generally distilled. In the column stills (which typically yield up to around 93-95.8% alcohol by volume), the so-called light rums.  After this, the rum may still be aged in wooden barrels, during which the rum acquires additional color, depending on the maturation time and the degree of charring of the wood. In many cases, former 200-liter bourbon barrels made from blackened American oak are used for rum aging.  Rum aged in stainless steel barrels remains colorless. To this, coloring agents, such as Caramel, are often added.

Most light rum comes from Puerto Rico. Most dark rums come from Jamaica, Haiti, and Martinique.

Generally, the rums sold in bottles are blends. This means that various types of rums are blended in order to achieve a consistent quality of the particular type/brand, but even more so to achieve a product unique to the seller.

Rum can be drunk pure or mixed with cola, for example (the so-called Cuba Libre or BaCo, from Bacardi-Cola). Rum can also be used for cooking and is used as a raw material in the flavoring industry and in the confectionery and food industries. Rum is also used as a flavoring agent in which other flavors dissolve well, as in the tobacco industry.

Over het algemeen zijn de rums die in flessen verkocht worden blends. Dit houdt in dat er diverse typen rum worden gemengd om zodoende een constante kwaliteit van het desbetreffende type/merk te krijgen, maar nog meer om tot een voor de verkoper uniek product te komen.

Rum kan puur worden gedronken of als mix met bijvoorbeeld cola (de zogenaamde Cuba Libre of BaCo, van Bacardi-Cola). Ook kan rum gebruikt worden om mee te koken en wordt het gebruikt als grondstof in de aroma-industrie en in de zoetwaren- en voedingsmiddelenindustrie. Ook wordt rum gebruikt als smaakstof waarin andere aroma’s goed oplossen, zoals in de tabaksindustrie.

Regions

Rum is distilled all over the world, but generally wherever sugar cane grows and is therefore available. In fact, it is a byproduct of cane sugar production. Each country and/or region has its own characteristic method of fermentation and distillation, so there is a very wide range of types of rum. There are a number of sugar cane distillates that are referred to by a different name than rum. For example, there is Cachaça, which is a sugarcane distillate, but only from Brazil. Batavia Arrak or arak is a sugar cane distillate from Indonesia.

Stroh is not rum

Stroh, also referred to in everyday language as strohrum, is a so-called Inländer Rum, a strong alcoholic drink originating in Austria. The raw material for Strohrum today is sugar cane molasses, which was not the case previously. After fermentation, the alcohol is extracted from it by column distillation. The manufacturer then adds dyes, aromatic and flavor essences. For this latter reason, the drink does not meet the European definition for rum, and may not be sold as “rum” in the EU. However, according to a European Union directive, rum produced entirely in Austria has been allowed to use the name Inländer Rum since 2008.

Rum is according to European legislation:

A distillate from sugar cane that must be distilled below 96% alcohol and have the “organoleptic” characteristics of rum.

Een distillaat uit suikerriet dat onder de 96% alcohol moet worden gedistilleerd en de ‘organoleptische’ kenmerken moet hebben van rum.

History of Rum

Caribbean rum has been exported from the islands for hundreds of years, linked to the tropical and subtropical climates where sugarcane thrives. It was Christopher Columbus himself who first brought sugarcane to the Caribbean from the Azores. But the origins of rum are much older, dating, most experts say, more than 2,000 years. Sugarcane grew rampantly in parts of southern China and India, and Alexander the Great, after conquering India, brought it to Egypt “the weed that gives honey without the help of bees.” The Muslim people of the Middle Ages, known as the Saracens, brought their knowledge of distilling sugar cane to the Moors, who made arrack (sugar cane-based proto-rum) and planted sugar cane in Europe sometime after Chr 636. Columbus brought sugarcane to Puerto Rico on his second voyage in 1493. Later, Ponce de León, the first Spanish governor of the island, planted the first cane fields in Puerto Rico, which would soon become vital to the local economy and to becoming the world’s palate for fine minds. Some historians speculate that Ponce de León’s legendary search for a mythical fountain of youth was, in fact, a much more practical search for a source of pure water to use in his distilling of rum.

The first sugar mill, a precursor to the Puerto Rican rum industry, was built in 1524, when the product of cane distillation was called brebaje, the word rum as a later addition brought by crusading English sailors. The popularity of rum continued to spread during the early 19th century. Distilleries flourished and grew in Puerto Rico. In 1893, the first modern column still was imported to Puerto Rico. This innovation laid the groundwork for the island to produce a more refined, smoother-tasting rum at a dramatically increased rate. Distilleries moved from vast, remote sugar plantations to more accessible sites and soon became centrally organized and managed. The first Puerto Rican rum for export to the continental United States was shipped in 1897 – some 18,000 liters.

During the Prohibition period in the United States, most Puerto Rican rum distillers stayed in business — not by being rumrunners but by producing industrial alcohol. When Prohibition ended in 1933, Puerto Rico focused on the opportunities of the U.S. liquor market and slowly began rebuilding its shipments to U.S. ports. The island quickly took steps to upgrade its rum production, and through special government funding and research, rum from the island was catapulted to the forefront of world rum production. With the onset of World War II, U.S. spirits manufacturers were ordered to limit their production and manufacture of industrial alcohol for the war effort. However, because the territorial mandate did not apply to Puerto Rico, demand for Puerto Rican rum increased.

Sales were phenomenal during the war years, with rum and cola being the national drink during World War II. In 1952, about 100 different brands of Puerto Rican rum were on the market. Today, there are only 12. Rum from Puerto Rico are the leaders in rum sales in the continental United States. As much as 77 percent of all rum sold on the mainland comes from Puerto Rico.

English style rum

The oldest known style, usually distilled in Pot Stills and for the most part aged for several years in the barrel. This Rum comes from the (former) British overseas territories, Barbados (also called Bajan Rum) Jamaica and Trinidad are the well-known examples. This Rum is appreciated for its quality and rich aromas. This is the result of medium and/or long fermentation. Often they are blends of different aging ages whose youngest age is generally indicated on the label.

Spanish style rum

These Rum came to market a bit later and are somewhat “lighter” in flavor than English Style Rum. Generally, these Rums are distilled in Column Stills with short to medium fermentation. Well-known Spanish style Rum countries include Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Panama. Generally, the age mentioned on the label is the average age of the blend(s) or in the case of the so-called Solera Rum the oldest age of the blend.

French style rum / Rhum agricole

Made exclusively from sugarcane juice, this Rum generally has a fruity nose and a relatively dry feel on the palate, with more vegetal flavors. This elegant but unusual rum comes from the French colonies such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion and Haiti, for example.This Rum is becoming increasingly popular among enthusiasts. In general, this Rum is produced in Column Stills and following the French AOC guidelines.