Saint Lucia rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

Why does a rum from Saint Lucia develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

 

For you – and for many others – the Caribbean, in all its diversity, is at the center of the world’s rum production.

Martinique, Barbados, Guadeloupe and Trinidad – these are all origins you’ve already studied, and although you haven’t mastered them, you know the basics of the cane distillates that originate there.

Another island in the region catches your eye, just south of the Isle of Flowers: Saint Lucia.

Wouldn’t this be a good excuse to pay a visit to your wine specialist? You think so (oh surprise!).

The route – which you know by heart – is quickly dispatched and here you are among the shelves covered with bottles of rum. You just love this place!

You don’t beat about the bush: “Dear wine merchant, do you have any rums from Saint Lucia?

 

To answer this rhetorical question, he guides you to one of the shelves and (in the absence of rum) showers you with words like: unique distillery, variety of stills, English tradition, range of brands, diversity of styles…

 

As you leave your favorite shop, you almost think that the two bottles in your bundle might not be enough to show you the aromatic range of rums from Saint Lucia.

As soon as you return home, two tasting glasses appear almost miraculously on your table, filled with the contents of your new acquisitions.

One of them is fragrant, just as your wine merchant had explained earlier. You begin your tasting with the other (and temporarily remove the second).

 

Balanced and quite expressive, it greets you with aromas of dried fruit, spices, tobacco, chocolate and vanilla. The whole is resolutely greedy (and not without a hint of freshness) but seems dry, which is confirmed on the palate. The finish is even slightly drying, and the walnut shows the tip of its kernel.

 

Relatively complex, it takes you out of your comfort zone without really pushing you. You’ll go so far as to think that there’s more behind this profile than a single, well-executed aging process, while leaning towards molasses as far as the raw material is concerned.

A fine analysis indeed.

The uniqueness of Saint Lucia Distillers (the name given to the island’s only distillery) lies in the variety of styles that can be produced (rather like Guyana).

While molasses (from Panama, Brazil and Mexico, for example, and imported to the island) is used for the most part, the distillery has a few cane fields around their facilities, enabling them to process fresh cane juice. This juice can then be added to certain blends.

Fermentation, which generally lasts a full day and a half, is carried out using different types of yeast (three different strains), depending on the desired result.

What’s more, this transformation of sugars into alcohol (and the creation of aromas) takes place partly in… concrete vats. Where most producers use stainless steel or even wooden vats, this is a “detail” that can have its importance.

 

Now for the big part: the four distillation units. Their varied natures enable the creation of very different distillates.

 

Most of the production is handled by a double column. Its role is clearly to produce volume. A bit like Central American rums, the distillate that comes out of it can reach 95% alcohol, which means it won’t have much taste (except for that of ethanol). As you know, this means a lot of wood and barrel aromas during maturation.

Three discontinuous distillation stills make up the rest of the fleet.

A Vendôme (previously owned by Trinidad Distillers Limited) will run a juice with dark accents of licorice, leather, spices, brown sugar and empyreumatic, ashy notes. This is the least productive.

The rest of the trio is made up of two John Dore stills, originally called… John Dore 1 and John Dore 2. The latter has more than ten times the capacity of the former. It is on the latter that the pure juice is distilled.

Both, in different registers, bring a great deal of aromatic intensity, including fruit galore. If blending is to take place, it will be necessary to be sparing in incorporating the distillate from these two, otherwise the other components will be overwhelmed.

 

There’s still one stage during which the aromatic profile will be influenced: ageing. Here again, Saint Lucia Distillers has plenty to choose from, since the distillery uses five types of cask: ex-bourbon (mostly), ex-porto, ex-red wine, ex-white wine and ex-brandy (wine brandy).

 

 

Add to this the fact that their cellars house around 10,000 barrels, and it’s easy to see that SLD has plenty to experiment with and plenty to enjoy.

To sum up: 2 raw materials, 3 yeasts, 4 stills and 5 types of barrel. The possibilities are already impressive, but add the usual choices of fermentation time or ageing duration and the field of possibilities expands even further. And now, think blending!

For it is the know-how and potential of blending that makes Saint Lucia rums so rich. It’s thanks to blending that St. Lucia Distillers has been able to create such diverse brands as Chairman’s Reserve, Admiral Rodney and Santa Lucia 1931.

You now move on to the second rum, which has had time to air out, which is far from calming its intensity.

Exotic fruits, cocoa, a burnt facet, vanilla, a touch of glue and a quarter of green olive form an explosive blend. In the mouth, it reveals its power and concentration, leaving a lasting impression on the palate.

 

Since you paid close attention when you read the beginning of this article, you’ll understand that this is a rum where the column distillate does not enter the blend. The result is a distinctive spirit that won’t appeal to everyone, but will be snapped up by some connoisseurs.

References such as this will not be found in the classic brand range, but in special editions in partnership with wine merchants, distributors or bottlers.

Now that you know (or almost know) all about rums produced in Saint Lucia, it’s up to you to form your own palate and preferences.

 

Rum from Mauritius, get to the bottom of the bottle

Why does a rum from Mauritius develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

How about a visit to your local wine specialist? No, I know, you don’t need any encouragement to visit him and make new discoveries.

Today, after having tried the rums of Reunion Island, you’d like to learn more about the cane brandies produced on the neighboring island of Mauritius.

You’re far from having a precise idea about these rums (which, as we shall see, is quite normal), so you turn to your purveyor of quality liquids.

It evokes the wide variety of rums produced on this little piece of land lost in the Indian Ocean, and the youthfulness of the industry.

As you can see, you’re going to have to buy (at least) two more bottles to get a clearer picture. You were right, as he steers you towards a bottle of white rum and another of aged rum.

When you ask him if there’s an order to tasting, you’re surprised to hear his reply: “It doesn’t matter”. Well, now you’re well on your way.

Back in your tasting den – and having washed your hands, because it’s important – you grab two special glasses (also known as tulip glasses), into which you pour a few centilitres of each rum.

 

 

You decide, almost out of habit, to start this session with white rum, and it’s a slap (or caress) of cane that welcomes you.

 

Here’s a surprise for you. Without really explaining why, you thought you were dealing with a molasses rum, but here, there’s no room for doubt.

As you dip your nose into it, you find certain aromatic cues that you’ve come across on several occasions in rums made from the fermentation of vesou (the name given to fresh cane juice). Fruits are very present (including a zest of lime), accompanied by more herbaceous touches and a pinch of spice. Above all, however, ripe, fat cane dominates.

This “agricultural” rum, which cannot bear the name, is very much to your taste. It doesn’t seem very different from Guadeloupe or Martinique rums distilled on column after a relatively short fermentation, although it does offer a noticeable intensity.

This very expressive facet, which you may have noticed, comes from the distillation apparatus used here, a pot still. What’s even more noteworthy is the absence of the metallic notes that can sometimes mark this kind of distillate, which is not to your displeasure.

 

 

Until 2001, rum producers were legally prohibited from using cane juice as a raw material. What’s more, the “rhum de coulage” (the rum that comes out of the still) had to be higher than 93%.

 

Suffice it to say that Mauritius is in its infancy when it comes to pure cane juice rums. Some of the island’s distilleries make it their specialty (three of the six in the territory – yes, there are six distilleries on the island).

The second glass is waiting for you and it’s time to devote yourself to it, wondering if you shouldn’t have started with this one. It, too, presents an intense and – logically – very different profile.

Fruits are at the forefront, exotic or yellow-fleshed, juicy and greedy. Then come the spices, very present, including pepper, clove and vanilla.

Unheard of in your nostrils, it appeals to you and you think it’s sugar rum (and therefore made from molasses), but you can’t tell any more than that.
In fact, this is an industrial rum (using the residue of the sugar industry) and this, to your great surprise, is distilled at a high degree, since we’re over 90%, without however reaching the critical 96% threshold, above which the aromas tend to disappear (hello vodka).

The fact that it is so rich is due not only to the work carried out on the yeasts used, but above all to the crucial ageing stage.

 

It’s in the cellar that the magic happens, thanks to the use of new and ex-cognac French oak barrels.

 

You may recall that a similar process is used in Réunion’s main distilleries. Similar to Cognac methods, the distillate spends a few months in new barrels, before being transferred to red barrels (already used several times, they bring little tannin and promote oxygenation of the liquid).

The combination of a light (but far from insipid) distillate with a great deal of ageing and blending work enables us to tailor our rums to the desired result.

This clearly makes you want to explore this universe.

In any case, you now understand that whatever your order of tasting, you couldn’t go wrong, as these rums both have sufficiently strong identities.

 

But that’s not all, as all combinations are possible: white rum from molasses, old rum pure juice (in continuous or discontinuous distillation), the use of various wood essences… and why not spiced or arranged rums?

 

 

 

And therein lies the richness of this origin: a huge variety and rapid expansion of rum production, often overseen by industry experts with a bottle (of rum, of course).

You can see where I’m going with this: it’s going to take time and multiple tastings for you to grasp all that rums from Mauritius have to offer. Fortunately, you’re ready to tackle the task! I salute your self-sacrifice.

 

Dominican Republic rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

Why does a rum from the Dominican Republic develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

 

Your footsteps lead you by chance (my goodness!) to your favorite stall: your rum cellar. You decide to cross the threshold, it would be too stupid not to take advantage of this stroke of destiny (but of course…).

“Hello, Mr. Cellarman, I just happened to be passing by, so I thought I’d pop in.”

Your wine merchant greets you with a knowing smile, and asks you straight out if you know anything about Dominican Republic rums. Not being the case, you show your curiosity.

He then mentions large production volumes, different raw materials, molasses that is exported (to Barbados, among others) and a special aging method…

Knowing him, you anticipate having to take several bottles home with you, but you’re wrong (yes, it happens a lot, and it’s normal). He points you to a single bottle, explaining that it’s enough to capture the most common profile of Dominican Republic rums.

Once you’re home (again, by chance, of course…), you make yourself comfortable and take out a tulip-shaped glass to pour in two or three centilitres of your new acquisition.

 

This rum profile is not unfamiliar to you: caramel, vanilla, light oak, a little coconut and some nuts. You associate these aromas with a classic Hispanic-style rum.

 

Your nose and palate have not deceived you: rums from the Dominican Republic are very similar to Cuban rums, and sometimes even to Central American rums.

The one in your glass is light, but with little – if any – sweetening.

Your wine merchant mentioned rums that can be made from a variety of raw materials; yes, he knows a thing or two. Indeed, while most of the island’s distilleries use only molasses, one of the two largest uses only cane juice. So why didn’t your purveyor of delicious liquids encourage you to buy a bottle of each?

 

The reason is simple: rums from the Dominican Republic are produced in such a way that the raw material preferred by the distiller cannot be felt in the bottle.

 

How do you do it, you might ask (and, if we were teasing, we might add “why?”)?

Nothing could be easier (well, you’d need a big factory, anyway). First of all, you need to carry out very short fermentations, during which the aromas have very little time to appear and develop.

Then, in the second stage, distillation on a multi-column system produces a distillate flirting with 96%, approaching aromatic neutrality.

With this rum production process, the choice of raw material is of little importance, since organoleptic characteristics are virtually erased at the column outlet.

 

The resulting “rum” is a blank page on which the barrel can write whatever it wants – or rather, whatever the cellar master decides.

 

Ageing is at the heart of the aromatic profile of these rums. As the casks used are traditionally ex-bourbon, the classic aromas of caramel, vanilla and coconut take precedence.

Although the rum you taste appears to be free of added sugar, it’s worth mentioning that, depending on the brand and vintage, sweetening can be significant, until the sweetness is very perceptible on the palate. In fact, it’s not uncommon for the amount of added sugar to be greater on older references – which may seem surprising.

 

Another practice is adopted by some producers in the Dominican Republic – but also by many Latin rum brands in general. A system of “dynamic aging”, known as the solera method.

 

 

This technique has its origins in sherry production in Spain. It allows blending to take place throughout the ageing process.

A solera is made up of several rows of casks stacked one on top of the other. Each row contains eaux-de-vie of the same average age, the youngest at the top, the oldest at the bottom. This last row is called solera, while the others are called criadera.

The bottles are filled with the liquid from the lower barrels (the solera).

The barrels, never completely emptied, are then topped up with the contents of the top row (the oldest criadera). The space thus freed is then filled with juice from the barrels above, and so on. The space occupied by the rum (in this case) contained in the barrels on the highest level is replaced by freshly poured distillate.

It is said – by users of this method – that the older juices “educate” the younger ones, ensuring consistency in the rums produced.

 

Beware, however, of the practice by some brands of indicating on the bottle the age of the oldest rum in the blend. In Europe, however, this is now forbidden, as it is the age of the youngest component that must be apparent on the label (when an age is indicated, of course).

In order to adapt to more discerning palates, distilleries in the western part of Hispaniola are beginning to raise certain alcohol percentages slightly, and to introduce a few innovations. For the time being, these only concern the ageing stage, with, for example, barrels that are more or less “bousiné”, finishing touches and even roasting of local ingredients in the barrels before the white rum is tapped.

We’ll see what the future holds.

That’s it for this little tour of Dominican soil, at the end of which you’ll have enough information to understand and appreciate the rums that originate there.

You’re welcome.

Rum from Haïti, get to the bottom of the bottle

Why does a rum from Haiti develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

“Bonjour monsieur le caviste.

– Ah, good morning dear amateur in search of knowledge. To what do I owe your visit today, after yesterday and the day before, and… the day before that?

– Well, I’ve heard about one of the origins of rum that I know nothing about.

– What about it? Which one is it?

– Haïti.

– Ah, that’s an interesting provenance. But to understand it, you’ll have to taste two very different products.

– Be that as it may, I’ll stop at nothing!

These are more or less the few words exchanged with the wine merchant, before you leave with two bottles in your wallet, or your stroller, why not.

As your advisor hasn’t told you much, you’re very curious about these two new acquisitions: a “white rum” and an aged rum. The only indication: “Finish with the white”. Instinctively, you would have done the opposite, but okay.

You follow the guide, and pour a few centilitres of the rum, which proudly displays an age statement on its label: 8 years.

 

The profile that rises to your nostrils reminds you of others, and you immediately think this is a molasses rum, where the cask is responsible for most of the aroma.

 

These include vanilla, nuts, wood and a touch of roast. Pleasant in its simplicity, it also gives off a relatively dry impression. On the palate, it reveals itself to be softer than expected, with a strong aromatic presence of caramel, before regaining its straightforwardness on the finish, during which a hint of citrus comes to the fore.

Blindly, you would have placed it somewhere in Latin America or perhaps Cuba.

But it’s not. In fact, this rum has one major difference: its raw material! Yes, it’s made from cane juice and/or syrup (cooked cane juice that has lost a lot of moisture and become concentrated). That’s a barrelful.

So how do you explain this huge disparity with the agricols rums you know? To do so, we’ll have to take another look at the production stages.

One thing’s for sure – and you’re right – the juice used for ageing must not have been an aromatic bomb. That’s why the barrel was able to leave such a deep mark on the liquid.

Short fermentation, column distillation and a high percentage of alcohol in the mash: these are the reasons behind the lightness of the distillate. The barrel – in this case made of French oak – is left with an (almost) blank canvas on which to draw the rum’s silhouette as it sees fit.

 

By the way, there’s only one historic rum distillery in Haiti, so I’ll leave it to you to find out which one it is. No, it’s not that complicated, and there’s absolutely nothing to gain.

Now it’s time to taste your second bottle. The white eau-de-vie your cellarman advised you to save for last.

As soon as the cork is removed, you understand why. The highly expressive liquid is literally trying to get out of the bottle and into your nostrils. Pouring it into the glass, you give it a few minutes before approaching your nose.

This only confirms your first impression: the cane juice is conquering, both vegetal and organic, almost animal. The fruit is very, very ripe, with a hint of truffle. A rich, intense rum. Except it’s not (though). In fact, you’ve just experienced clairin.

This “ancestor” of rum is made by traditional methods. No phase of the process has changed for decades, if not centuries. There are a few exceptions, where modern distillation columns are used, but most of the country’s (almost 500) producers have made no changes to their ancestral methods.

 

The main reason is to be found in the fermentation process and, above all, in the alembic still used and its settings – in other words, the famous marks.

 

Honestly, in the world of rum, there are few things more complicated than the typologies of Guyana rums. Don’t expect me to explain it all to you – I’m not planning to write a twelve-volume book on the subject. But here are a few points to keep in mind.

First of all, in English Guiana, rums are produced in the Demerara region, which runs alongside the river of the same name. In other words, the two terms are almost synonymous when it comes to rum.

By 1780, there were over 300 distilleries in the area. Ah well! Over the years, most closed and/or were absorbed by others. By the middle of the 20th century, there were just eight, and today, only one still exists: Diamond.

Of course, all the others have disappeared, but some distilling equipment has been repatriated to Diamond, owned by Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). This means, for example, that Enmore rums are still produced, even though the distillery of the same name closed in 1994.

 

It’s as if every step is taken to accentuate the aromas.

 

 

 

Sugar cane is grown “the old-fashioned way”, without any synthetic inputs (no, manure doesn’t count), in polyculture, mechanically cut, then transported by ox or donkey.

They are then pressed without the addition of water (also known as imbibition), and the juice is transferred to these fermentation “vats”, usually wooden barrels. There are a great many varieties of cane in Haiti, some endemic to specific regions.

Fermentation is spontaneous (no yeast is added) and lasts at least five days. The cane wine is then distilled on a still, traditionally heated over an open fire. No filtration or alcoholic reduction before bottling.

 

The result is a cane brandy with an alcoholic percentage generally between 50% and 55%, which has never had water added to it during the production process. A true concentrate of spirits.

 

Depending on the varieties of cane used, the year’s climatic conditions, variations during fermentation (during which no controls, such as thermoregulation of the vats, are in place) and the hazards of direct-flame distillation, the resulting clairin can be markedly different from one year to the next.

This “vintage” effect makes for a fascinating exploration of this ancestral rum.

What’s true for the production of a single distillery is even more true between different distilleries.

A little aside: note that the term “vintage” is normally reserved for aged rums, especially in the context of geographical indications and other appellations of origin. For white rums, the term “harvest year” is more appropriate.

You’re now equipped with the knowledge you need to appreciate and understand the rums produced on Haitian soil, where a wide variety of cane distillates are produced. But there’s still plenty to taste before you’ve mastered this two-faced origin.

Rum from Trinidad and Tobago, get to the bottom of the bottle

 

Why does a rum from Trinidad & Tobago develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

You continue your peregrinations on the rum trail, always in search of knowledge and understanding. It’s not always easy to see clearly in this universe, but fortunately you have your personal adviser (well, he looks after a few other people too): your specialist wine merchant.

And today, you’ve got an idea in mind: to find out more about traditional English rums, with Trinidad and Tobago as your next stop. This choice seems to please your dealer in good things, who is instantly enthusiastic and explains that it’s very difficult to find a rum of this origin that would show all its facets.

He tells you about official bottlings, raw casks, independent bottlers and a defunct distillery.

At the end of all this gibberish, he recommends a bottle, adding that he could have sold you five and that it would still have been complicated to find common points between them all.

Now you’re well on your way…

So, once you’ve returned home and completed your preparatory ritual, you’re ready to discover this new eau-de-vie de canne.

You immediately recognize its dual nature. The fruit, which comes in a variety of forms (dried, exotic and even blackcurrant-like berries), is softened by vanilla, while a second, darker thread lurks in the background.

 

It’s often this second face that makes a Trinidad rum so distinctive: roasted, burnt, smoky and even tarry notes.

 

Your growing experience points you in the direction of molasses as a raw material – nothing here suggests cane juice. Good, you’re learning. There’s a relative heaviness, a thickness to this rum that reminds you of other British-style rums; it is, however, endowed with an undeniable identity of its own.

It also seems to you that the casks used must be very heavily toasted, which would explain (at least in part) the roasted, even burnt aromas. Once again, more than likely, well done!

Fermentation and distillation, on the other hand, are less straightforward, and you come up with a combination of a column and an iron still. This time you get it wrong, but to be honest, it wasn’t easy. Let’s see what it’s all about.

There is only one distillery in Trinidad: Trinidad Distillers Limited (TDL). Until the early 2000s, there was a second distillery, which has since closed – more on that later.

TDL has two distillation units, one single column and one multiple column. Traditionally, the large single column is used to produce a relatively heavy distillate, while the quintuple column is used to run lighter rums (meaning higher in alcohol and less concentrated in aroma).

A large proportion of rums are produced by blending these two distillates (so you’re not entirely wrong).

 

Like many enthusiasts, you have the idea that rums distilled on a column still are necessarily less expressive than those distilled on an iron still. This is not the case.

The counter-example that jumps out at the neurons (and nostrils) is that of the Creole column used in the French West Indies, whose product is highly aromatic (otherwise, what would be the point of ti-punch?!).

But column distillation doesn’t necessarily mean vodka-like, insipid rum. The degree of pouring need not exceed 90% (for example, the AOC Martinique limits it to 75%).

It is also possible to “spike” at an intermediate level of the column to recover a distillate with a lower alcohol percentage and higher aromatic concentration.

 

Distillation is the crucial stage in shaping the aromatic profile of Trinidad rums.

 

Fermentation is also an important part of the process. Relatively short, lasting no more than 48 hours in most cases (in exceptional cases, up to 72 hours for certain rums), it is carried out using different strains of yeast, depending on the desired result.

But all this doesn’t explain that bituminous facet that titillated your nostrils. To try and explain it, I have to talk about the second distillery present on the island until the beginning of the 21st century.

The name alone is enough to give goose bumps to enlightened amateurs, collectors and (unfortunately) speculators alike. Caroni.

I won’t bore you with its history (about which you can find plenty of sources online). Just know that Caroni rums are characterized by aromas of hydrocarbons, rubber and tar.

Fortunately, these are regularly combined with exotic fruits and vanilla.

 

It’s impossible to know for sure the origin of this unique profile, although several theories exist (failed distillation, the presence of tires in the cellars, the existence of a natural tar deposit on the island which could have transmitted its taste to the water used to produce the rum…).

 

But how did these aromas reach a large proportion of the rums from the other distillery: Trinidad Distillers Limited? If the theory about the natural presence of asphalt is correct, then the same reason could have influenced these rums as much as the Caroni.

Personally, I’m leaning more towards another explanation. TDL would have recovered and stored Caroni barrels (or vats) and used it as a bonnifier (flavor enhancer) in their production.

Perhaps this secret is known to a few people, who will spill the (rubber) beans in time, but until then, the mystery remains.

So, after this tasting and a few explanations, you’ll be better equipped to understand and appreciate Trinidad rums.

However, you’ll need to taste many more to fully appreciate this style, if that’s even possible. So arm yourself with patience and your tasting glass.

 

White rum from Southeast Asia, get to the bottom of the bottle

Why does a white rum from Southeast Asia develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

As you browse the shelves of your favorite specialty store, you come across a bottle of white rum with an illustration on the label that reminds you of Asia.Curious, and armed with your wine merchant’s sound advice, you leave with a bottle under your arm.

It’s a rum produced in Southeast Asia: Thailand, Vietnam and Laos all produce cane distillates.

Impatient to discover what it has to offer, you open the bottle, pour a few centiliters into your tasting glass (yes, white rum can be tasted too).

You’ll be surprised to discover fresh, herbal, floral and fruity notes. Very expressive, it’s not without roundness, almost mellowness.

From your meagre experience, you tell yourself that it resembles the white rums from Guadeloupe and Martinique to which you are more accustomed, with a little something extra, a slightly marine or metallic note perhaps?

We’re geographically far from the French West Indies, so how is this relationship possible?

 

 

Puzzled, you decide to pour a few centilitres of this “white” rum into another glass, to check your first impression. Same thing.

Trust our nose! It’s not your nose that’s deceiving you, it’s your eyes. One of the distinctive features of Cuban rum is that all its expressions are aged, and some are whitened. Yes, yes, you read that right.

In this case, the aged rum – which has taken on a few colors – is filtered over activated charcoal to remove any coloration. Also, since Cuban rum is legally at least 2 years old (we’ll come back to this), your white rum will have aromas that originate from the barrel, with vanilla and caramel topping the list.

To recap: the rum is aged, then blanched, so it retains the aromas of aging, but will be translucent.

First and foremost, the most obvious common denominator, which literally jumps out at you: it’s translucent. This is simply because it has not been aged. So, there’s no impact of the wood, since the liquid hasn’t been in contact with a barrel. It’s the raw material that fully expresses itself.

And, as you know, the vast majority of rums produced are made from molasses. But here, the aromas are too vegetal and fresh; they don’t stick.

Your nostrils have not deceived you: it is indeed the scent of sugarcane juice that this rum exhales.

Southeast Asia is a huge producer of sugar cane, led by Thailand, so it was only natural that rum made from the fermentation of cane juice should be produced there.

 

 

 

But a crucial step was still missing: the contribution of knowledge and know-how. In most cases, it was local Frenchmen who embarked on the adventure.

All the ingredients were in place for the production of top-quality white rums. You’ll most often find these Southeast Asian rums white. This is due to several factors:

• Unlike a good proportion of unaged molasses rums (don’t throw stones at me, I didn’t say “all”), pure cane juice white rums already offer a pleasant profile that stands on its own.
• Most rum distilleries in Southeast Asia are relatively young. Aging a spirit takes time and represents a major investment, which is not always compatible with a fledgling distillery.
• Thai law makes it extremely complicated to age spirits in Thailand. It is just as difficult to bottle rum above 40%.

That’s why they’re related to the white rums of the French West Indies, but they’re far from carbon copies. These differences, which you may have sensed on the nose and in the mouth, can be traced back to several stages in the distillate’s production.

First explanation: the varieties of cane are not the same (you might have thought). White rums made from pure cane juice are, so to speak, the only ones where you can taste the particularities of the sugar cane itself.

.

 

Terroir in rum is probably only to be found in the category of pure cane juice white rums.

 

 

In the same way, these rums are also unique in that they let the terroir express itself. Soil, climate and the hand of man (with a push-button) are all factors that leave their mark on the final product: white rum.

This is less the case when ageing is involved, and even less so when we’re talking about molasses rums, which are already a processed product and often come from regions of the world other than that of the producing country.

The second explanation lies in the way in which the juices are distilled. Whereas in Martinique, for example, cane wine (fermented cane juice) has to be distilled on a Creole column, small-scale producers in South-East Asia have chosen to use small stills, often dictated by economic constraints.

Not only are these units less costly and able to work with limited quantities of raw material, they also allow for more precise and easily modifiable settings.

However, distilling on a column or an iron still (or even a hybrid still, where a small rectification column is integrated) will obviously have a significant impact on the distillate.

This is where the marine and sometimes coppery notes come from, in addition to the pronounced sugarcane aromas.

Now you know what you’re getting in your bottle, and why this rum has such a distinctive identity.

Barbados rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

 

Why does a rum from Barbados develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

As you’ve been reading (the blog of the man with the pushchair, for example) and listening to podcasts about rum (did you say Single Cast?), you’ve heard on several occasions that Barbados is the birthplace of rum. That’s reason enough for you to take an interest in the cane brandy that originated on this small coral island in the Caribbean.


So you head off to your specialist wine merchant to find out more, and to buy a bottle so you can try it out for yourself.

The choice is not dizzying, and in any case the owner of the shop explains that the typical characteristics of Barbados rums are shared by most of the references available in his humble shop.


So you leave with a bottle that the cellarman describes as “very representative of what we mean by a Barbados rum profile“.

As soon as the door to your flat closes behind you, the ritual begins. You get yourself a tasting glass, open your brand new conquest and pour a few centilitres (yes, into the glass, otherwise it’s a bit silly).

 

As soon as you put your nose to the glass, you get a double impression: a rum that is both sweet and dry.

 

Your nostrils and your brain help you identify aromas of toasted coconut, vanilla, a little tobacco, a roasted note and nuts. You’re getting really good at this!


In any case, you like it, it manages to exude deliciousness without seeming nauseating. Not overly expressive, you find it balanced.

On the palate, it’s exactly that: dry oak, coconut, vanilla and perhaps a hint of orange zest. The slightly drying finish continues in the same vein, with tobacco coming back strongly to support the woodiness, coconut and cocoa.

A very homogeneous tasting, with no false notes, confirming your first impression: a rum that is both dry and delicious.

Your growing experience tells you that much of the flavour of this Barbados rum comes from ageing in ex-bourbon casks.

You’re definitely getting good at this. You’re right, the American oak cask traditionally transmits aromas of coconut and vanilla (among others).

But there’s something else about it that you can’t quite put your finger on – more body, perhaps.

You’ve got something!

Unlike other rums – many from Latin America, for example – the traditional distillate of a rum from Barbados is not close to aromatic neutrality. In fact, the island’s three main distilleries (Mount Gay, WIRD and Foursquare) have several types of distilling apparatus.

 

White rum is traditionally a blend of pot still and column distilled rums.

 

Although the majority of the distillate comes from continuous distillation (column distillation), the blend will still have more character thanks to the discontinuous distillate (still distillation).

So, during ageing, the wood has enough room to express itself, but the distillate will have enough character not to be completely erased.t

Fermentation is fairly short, lasting no more than 48 hours, and does not play a major role (but remember that it always has its say, however discreetly).

Now that you know the profile of Barbados rum and understand how it is made, I must look to the future and tell you a little about it.

In fact, the distilleries mentioned above have begun to experiment with all sorts of things. Let me introduce you to three of them.

West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) has a number of different stills at its disposal: multiple column, John Dore post still, Blair column, Greg Farm pot still, Vulcan chamber still and the recently refurbished Rockley Still.

Each of them is capable of distilling very different distillates. The playground is limitless if you combine the distillation options with the fermentation possibilities, which can range from 24 hours to much longer for rums with a high ester content. And experimentation is well under way.

At Mount Gay, we’re having fun departing from the ancestral method by playing around with fermentation times, going from an average of 36 hours to ten days, while using other yeasts. The result is a rum that is far more expressive – some would say less balanced – than the island’s emblematic juices.

Barbados’ oldest distillery (a written record has been found dating back to 1703) is still in the early stages of this work.

For some years now, Foursquare has not been content to age its rum in ex-bourbon American oak barrels. The young distillery (founded in 1996) has ex-Madeira wine, cognac, port and sherry casks in its cellars.

Many of the rums bearing the Foursquare label are blends of distillates matured in different types of casks.

 

 

What if I told you now that several distilleries in Barbados are starting to distil sugarcane juice?

 

Yes, tests are under way at several of the island’s producers, but this is only the beginning. So let’s be curious about what the future holds.

So now you have a clearer picture of the rums of Barbados, their production methods and their typical taste profile. But you also know that rules are made to be broken, so the traditional framework for reading about these rums is going to become far too narrow in the years to come.

 

 

Reunion Island rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

 

Why does a rum from Réunion Island develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

Weren’t you at your local rum cellar a while ago? Your thirst for knowledge knows no bounds! Anyway, here you are again, in search of cane brandy and knowledge. Fortunately, your official supplier is not short of either.

Having not yet had the opportunity to discover the rums of the Indian Ocean, you mention them to your cellarman, who – in no time at all – starts telling you about Réunion Island and the highly unusual profile of the cane brandies produced there.

You’re a little surprised by his enthusiasm, which doesn’t quite fit in with the image of an island known for its rhums arrangés. Not that you have anything against arranged rums, but that’s not what you’re looking for.

So, once again, you follow the expert advice of your specialist wine merchant and leave with a bottle made in Réunion.

When you get home, close the door, take off your shoes, relieve your bladder and wash your hands (in that order), you take out a tasting glass – you know those ‘tulip’ glasses – which you fill (no, not all the way) with the freshly acquired rum.

 

You are immediately struck by its highly expressive, even full-bodied nature. The fruit is front and centre, and you’re intrigued by a novel empyreumatic note.

 

Behind these aromas that literally jump out at you, you detect spicy notes (including a nice vanilla), as well as a hint of roast.

It’s an identity you didn’t know you had, and that excites you (calm down!).

The nose and palate point you in the direction of molasse. And you’re right. Most of the rums produced on Réunion use molasses as a raw material.

However, the island’s three main distilleries (Isautier, Savanna and Rivière du Mât) also produce a small quantity of rhum agricole.

Of course, the roasted and spicy notes come from the ageing process, the key stage in the production of an aged rum, during which exchanges between the juice and the wood take place. These include the aromas from the cask, which gradually colonise the liquid.

On the other hand, the fruity, empyreumatic profile (a superb word that will help you to shine in society), has its origins in the production stages of white rum. It’s the combination of several factors that explains it: the terroir in which the cane grows, the methods used to produce the sugar (and therefore the molasses) and the fermentation.

Reunion’s white rum has a strong character. It exudes fruity and floral aromas, as well as aromas of fermentation, such as olives in brine. It also often expresses that very special characteristic that can make you think of heated rubber. The whole is very expressive and quite unique.

Yes, you’ll have to buy a bottle of white rum to see for yourself!

 

This strong identity means that it can be aged without the wood totally overpowering the distillate.

 

It’s worth noting – and this is quite rare in the world of rum – that a large part of the island’s ageing is carried out in French oak barrels (new or that have contained cognac). This is where the spices that characterise Réunion’s aged rums find their roots.

Another important point is that Réunion Island rums have a geographical indication. Similar to that of Guadeloupe, it ensures quality and typicality without being too restrictive.

The first criterion for a rum to bear the label “Rhum de la Réunion” is that it is a traditional rum.

A lot of people make the mistake of calling molasses rums “traditional rums“, even though this term has a legal definition in European law. It describes rums that meet the following four criteria:

• The raw material must originate from the place of production
• The percentage by volume of distillation must be less than 90% vol
• The volatile substances content (or non-alcohol content) must be equal to or greater than 225 grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol (in simple terms, this is a measure of the intensity of the aromas).
• The rum must not be sweetened

 

In other words, the nature of the raw material is irrelevant. Rum can be both traditional and agricultural.

 

With that out of the way, let’s move on. Mind you, if I run into you and you make this mistake in my presence, you’re going to hear me!

I must mention a singular product, reminiscent of Jamaican rums: high esters. In fact, one of Réunion’s distilleries produces grand arôme, a rum with very special production methods (especially, but not only, in terms of fermentation).

Extremely aromatic, it will leave no one indifferent and is a rum experience in itself. Here’s another avenue you’ll have to explore – it never ends…

Of course, you weren’t wrong to associate Réunion with rhum arrangé. A true national drink, you’ll find several Réunionese brands (either specialising in arrangés, or a distillery that devotes part of its range to them) selling their typical island creations.

I couldn’t talk about rum and Bourbon Island without mentioning these rum-based spirits (yes, that’s the official name for the category). If you have a sweet tooth and love fruit, you can’t miss them.

You now have a few essential points of reference for understanding and appreciating Réunion’s rums. So, after this molasses rum, why not try a Réunion agricultural rum?

Jamaican rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

 

Why does a Jamaican rum develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

“Hello wine merchant, I’d like to discover a different and unique rum today. Would you have a bottle to recommend?

It’s with this introduction – a little formal, I grant you – that you enter your favourite shop. In all the time you’ve been going there, you’re well aware that your purveyor of liquid goodness is never stingy with advice. This is confirmed when he mentions rotten fruit, nail varnish remover, olives and glue.

You’re about to turn away in the face of such attractive arguments, but your wine merchant mentions one of the essential origins of rum, an organoleptic profile without equal (given the aromas described, so much the better, you say). He concludes with these words: “You don’t really know rum until you’ve set foot in Jamaica“.

You’re convinced, or at least curious enough to buy a bottle he recommends.

 

Back home, you want to try this very special rum. And it’s one of those rare occasions when, as soon as you pull the pin out of the bottle, the aromas are already assaulting your nostrils.

 

A few centilitres in the glass, and the room starts to smell of this unprecedented perfume.

Admittedly, this Jamaican rum is somewhat chemical in appearance (glue and nail varnish remover were well chosen), but it is combined with a devastating wave of fruitiness. And what expressiveness! Your nose is saturated with it as you dip it into the glass.

The palate only confirms the extreme intensity of the liquid. You find a little more wood and the finish evolves towards surprisingly empyreumatic accents. It’s been quite a journey, taking you to parts unknown, but you can’t explain how.

 

This very special character (which varies to a greater or lesser extent depending on the distilleries on the island) is to be found above all in the production stage that is crucial to the creation of taste: fermentation.

Fermentation is so special that certain terms are intrinsically associated with it. Among these, muck and dunder are legendary and often misunderstood. Before defining them, it’s important to understand that the general idea is to acidify the molasses wine, so that the yeasts – often indigenous/wild – work better and differently, to create the alcohol of course, but also the particular compounds that will generate the specific aromas.

Dunder is simply the liquid residue from distillation. Acidic and virtually devoid of alcohol, it is added to the fermentation tanks to boost the yeast, those hungry little workers.

 

Muck is a mixture of vinasses, fermentation vat bottoms, bagasse and rotten fruit. Yummy.
.

 

Not all of the island’s six distilleries have muck pits (where the muck is stored and fed). But almost all of them manage to produce high ester rums (a bit like the “grand arôme” rums of the distilleries in the French overseas departments and regions), loaded to the brim with non-alcoholic, flavour-creating elements.

The use of specific yeasts, the length of fermentation – 30 hours for the lightest rums, up to 3 weeks for the organoleptic behemoths – or the addition of cane juice that has been left to rest outdoors for weeks. Whatever it takes to make the ester counter explode.

Of course, not all the island’s rums are high esters, far from it, with each distillery manipulating the sliders at its disposal to obtain the desired profiles. These are categorised according to the level of esters produced post-distillation. However, it is during fermentation that the creation of a profile is planned.

There are four general categories (watch out for the onslaught of jargon and barbaric terms):

• Common clean : the lightest, it contains between 80 and 150 grams of esters per hectolitre of pure alcohol (g/halp).
• Plummer : more full-bodied than its predecessor but still very well balanced, with an ester content of between 150 and 200 g/halp.
• Wedderburn : a step up in terms of “heaviness” and intensity, with an ester content of between 300 and 300 g/halp.
• High Ester / Continental flavoured : a real aromatic bomb, it contains between 500 and 1600 g/halp.

Where it gets a little more complicated is that each distillery uses its own designation for the profiles produced, the marks (a bit like in Guyana). At Hampden, the highest mark is called DOK, while Long Pond calls its highest ester production TECC.

Unless you’re a huge Jamaican rum geek, you won’t know them all.

 

Just because I’ve knocked you out with fermentation doesn’t mean we shouldn’t mention the other crucial stage in the genesis of Jamaican style: distillation.

 

In order to create very heavy rums, all the distilleries have double retort pot-stills. Distillation is discontinuous, but successive passes are made without having to reload the still. In other words, you load your distillery with your fermented liquid and you get your white rum at the end.

However, some of the island’s distilleries have also acquired distilling columns, which allow them to increase the volume produced and blend the juices distilled on the two types of still.

Ageing is rarely mentioned when talking about Jamaican rums. On the island, the alcohol is drunk white, in cocktails and at high alcohol content.

Secondly, in terms of flavour, the identity of these rums lies at the end of the still, so ageing, and therefore wood, will not have a major role to play. This stage is most often carried out in casks that have already been used many times, which no longer have much to offer in terms of flavour, but which mainly allow the precious liquid to breathe.

ÉOf course, as with any distillery, there are exceptions, such as Appleton, where the distillates benefit from a significant amount of wood, which is crucial to the development of the distillery’s profile.

So now you’ve got a few key facts to help you understand these very special rums from Jamaica. Now go and make yourself a daiquiri with an overproof white, and tell me all about it!

Cuban rum, get to the bottom of the bottle

 

Why does a Cuban rum develop this aromatic profile? Let’s go from the bottle to the cane to find out.

Back at your wine shop? Back again? Your thirst for discovery is unquenchable.

You’re making headway in your quest for cold knowledge, and there are still a few provenances left to discover. Among them: Cuba.

Like many people, you associate the largest island in the Caribbean with cane brandy. You think of prohibition, the Cuban revolution, Ernest Hemingway, the American embargo, mojitos and daiquiris...

Your wine merchant snaps you out of your reverie and you ask him for advice on Cuban rums. He mentions a style, a lightness, ageing rules, activated carbon… All a bit nebulous.

To clarify things, you leave with two bottles under your arm (or in the stroller), one white and one old.

Back at home, you uncap the bottles and fill the two glasses provided.

The first rum is, as expected, completely translucent, while the second has a pronounced amber hue.

You approach the white rum with your nasal appendage, expecting to smell some molasses and fruit aromas, but nothing woody (logical, since it’s a white rum, and you know that the color of aged rums comes from time spent in contact with wood).

 

And then, surprise! Your nose seems to be trying to convince you of the presence of ageing notes.

 

Puzzled, you decide to pour a few centilitres of this “white” rum into another glass, to check your first impression. Same thing.

Trust our nose! It’s not your nose that’s deceiving you, it’s your eyes. One of the distinctive features of Cuban rum is that all its expressions are aged, and some are whitened. Yes, yes, you’ve got him right.

In this case, the aged rum – which has taken on a few colors – is filtered over activated charcoal to remove any coloration. Also, since Cuban rum is legally at least 2 years old (we’ll come back to this), your white rum will have aromas originating from the barrel, with vanilla and caramel topping the list.

 

To recap: the rum is aged, then blanched, so it retains the aromas of aging, but will be translucent.

The profile of these rums, although influenced by ageing, remains very light. Whether it’s the wood or the raw material, their impact on the rum remains moderate.

These rums are intended for use in cocktails, in which they will influence neither taste (well, a little) nor color. They will be your allies in making a cuba libre or a mojito.

Now it’s time to turn our attention to aged rum, or the other aged rum… well, the one that isn’t white!

More expressive than its predecessor – which isn’t very difficult – it reveals a warmer side, the result of ageing.

 

The classic but effective aromas of vanilla, toasted oak, caramel and even nuts and dried fruit come through.

 

Rather restrained and measured, it’s easy to drink at first, thanks to its gourmet, not-too-complex profile. You associate this profile with Latin American rums.

Its light, woody nature can be explained in two ways.

The first is that – according to the Cuban Protected Geographical Indication, which has been in existence since 2013 – Cuban rum is the result of a blend between a distillate close to organoleptic neutrality (cast in the 95% range) and a lower distilled juice (around 75%), called aguardiente.

Aguardiente is the component that adds flavor; however, it traditionally accounts for only around 10% of the blend.

There are a few exceptions where the proportion of aguardiente is higher, creating a richer, more expressive rum.

 

As I mentioned earlier, Cuban rums are aged for at least two years, but it’s a little more complicated than that. Aging takes place in two or even three stages.

 

The first, lasting a minimum of two years, concerns only the aguardiente. At the end of this period, the two components are assembled. Once married, they must be re-infused for a second stage, which has no minimum duration defined by law. Yes, one day is enough, or even less…

And this is normally the end of the maturation process for rums that are then blanched and destined for mixology.

The journey continues for the others, which are then transferred to a third barrel for the final aging phase. It should be noted that the casks used at all stages must have already been used, so they will not mark the rum excessively.

The result will be light and dry (although not forbidden under the PGI, the addition of sugar is not a traditional method).

To help you shine in society, I offer you three additional pieces of information:

• More than an origin, Cuban rum is a style. It has been adopted in other countries, such as Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
• A group of around ten individuals aims to oversee rum production on the island, maintain its identity and think about the future. These people who devote their lives to Cuban rum are the maestro roneros.
• All Cuba’s rum production capacity was nationalized in 1959, and this is still the case today. It was in that same year that the bat brand left the island – yes, you know who I mean.

Now you know enough to understand how Cuban style is achieved and what it looks like.