What are all rums made from?
Sugar Cane
Where is the center of rum production?
The Caribbean
Which part of the sugar cane plant is harvested for sugar and rum production?
The stems
What is molasses?
A byproduct of the sugar process that is commonly used for rum production.
What are characteristics of rum made from sugar cane juice?
They have vegetal, grassy and fruity aromas.
When is the highest quality molasses produced?
At the beginning of the sugar-refining process.
What must be done before fermentation of molasses?
It must be diluted with water to create a fermentable liquid.
What are high-ester rums?
Often pot-stilled rums with exaggerated pungent and fruity aromas that are found in the production traditions of Jamaica.
What term is used to describe an individual, newly made rum?
Marks
Describe light marks rum.
Rums that have been distilled to a relatively high strength, often in excess of 90% ABV, in a column still. They play an important role in making golden rums.
Describe heavy marks rum.
Rums that have been distilled to a relatively low strength, normally made in a pot still. They are usually oak aged.
What is the impact of a short column still?
They are often used for many sugar cane juice rums, the impact is low distillation strength and accentuated, expressive flavors.
What are the flavors of oak-aged heavy mark rums?
- Bruised fruit
- Over-ripe banana
- Rancio flavors
True or False:
Rums are never blends.
False
Rums are often blends of different marks or ages, from different distilleries or even within a single distillery. This is done for complexity.
What three techniques can distiller use after a blend is made?
- Filter with activated charcoal to remove color, this is done with short aged rums.
- Adding caramel color.
- Sweetening before bottling to complement the fruit and rancio aromas.
Spiced rums are considered to be what?
Flavored spirits
What are the three main cultural styles of Caribbean rum?
- English
- French
- Spanish
Visually, how do we classify?
By color.
Describe White Rum.
- Water-white and colorless
- May be oak aged
- Can be light to pronounced in aromas, but are almost always light
Describe golden or amber rum.
- Most of the color comes from oak aging, with caramel used for color balancing and consistency.
- Blends will be up to the producer or local tradition.
- Medium level of sweetness.
What are the two types of Dark Rum?
Those with extended oak aging, having black banana, meaty, leather flavors, and those with significant caramel coloring with distinct cane sugar aromas.
Describe rancio flavors.
Black banana, meaty, leathery flavors and a deep color that develops over time aging in oak barrels.
How did the British colonization of the Caribbean affect the rum making traditions?
The British Navy served a daily ration of rum until 1970. Because this rum was diluted, it needed to be full of character and have heavy marks.
What style of rum is traditionally associated with Jamaica and Guyana?
The tradition in these two places is for heavier style rum because they were colonized by the British. Rums from these countries were often blended.
-
Tasting and Evaluating Spirits35
-
Factors Affecting the Style and Quality of Spirits35
-
The Spirits Industry15
-
Fruit Spirits26
-
Whisky/Whiskey30
-
Sugar Cane Spirits37
-
Tequila and Mezcal38
-
Vodka18
-
Techniques for Flavoring and Coloring Spirits13
-
Flavored Spirits21
-
Aromatised Wines13
-
An Introduction to a Spirits Bar41
-
Mixing with Spirits36
