Here we will place assorted pieces of Rum Education as we find or create them...
THE best Rum education document I have found is found here at the Rum University but here are some others
(from The Alconomics Bar Manual v1.3)
Rum
10 Things Every Bartender Should Know About Rum
1. Rum is a spirit distilled from Sugar cane juice… either from the molasses created as part of making sugar (Rum Industrial) or directly from the sugar cane juice (Rhum Agricole and Cachaca) and can only be made in a country that grows sugar cane
2. Sugar cane grows in hot climates only around the world since it was introduced by Christopher Columbus
3. Traditional Rum producing areas are the Caribbean Islands, South and North America and Australia and the Asia-Pacific Islands
4. Rum must be at least 37.5% abv tho’ many rums can be as high as 85% abv.
5. Rum comes in three main styles: white rum (good cocktail/mixed drink base), Gold or Aged (cocktails, mixed drinks and sipping) and Dark (mixed drinks and cocktails)
6. The main Rum brands are Bacardi (multi site), Bundaberg (Australia), Appleton Estate (Jamaica), Havana Club (Cuba) and Mount Gay (Barbados) with the USA being the largest market worldwide.
7. Aged rums pick up flavour from the barrel and because of the heat it gets a lot of flavour very quickly compared to Whisky or Brandy.
8. The main factors that will influence the quality and style of a rum are:
• The source of the sugar (sugar cane direct or molasses)
• The length of fermentation (short equals light rum; long equals heavy/dark rum)
• The type of Still (Pot equals heavy; Continuous equals light)
• The length of time in the barrel
• The strength of the rum at bottling
9. Rum is the base for many of the world’s most popular cocktails: the “Cubans” (Mojito, Cuba Libre and Daiquiri) and the “Islands” (Pina Colada, Mai tai, Zombie) as well as being versatile enough to be drunk in mixed drinks or neat.
10. One of the most popular new rum styles is Cachaca which is an Agricole Rum made only in Brazil and is the main ingredient in a Caipirinhia.
Definition
Rum must be made from sugar cane and distilled in a country in which sugarcane grows, although it may be aged and bottled anywhere. It must be bottled at a strength no lower than 37.5% abv.
History
Rum is historically known by many different names. It is believed that the name ‘Rum’ originated in Barbados although no one knows for sure. It has been called ‘Rumbustion’, Barbados Water’, ‘Red Eye’, ‘Rumscullion’, ‘Devil’s Death’, ’Nelson’s Blood’, ‘Rumbo’ and Kill-Devil’. All these names imply rum to have been a fiery, strong and powerful spirit inducing the drinker into drunken stupor with ease. It was known as ‘Nelson’s Blood’ as it was believed that Admiral Nelson’s body was carried back to England in a barrel of Rum. The sailors on the boat, although greatly respecting Nelson, started to siphon off the rum to drink. When they got back to England the barrel was empty of rum, so the sailors had been drinking Nelson’s Blood. Modern rum brands will translate rum into the language historically of the colonized area – Rum (English islands), Rhum (French islands) and Ron (Spanish and Portuguese islands).
Sugar cane (the raw ingredient of rum) first arrived in the Caribbean with Christopher Columbus in 1493 on his second voyage. This makes the Caribbean the birthplace of the rum industry although rum was produced earlier in other parts of the world. 2000 years ago, sugar cane grew like weeds in India and China. After his conquest of the Punjab, Alexander the Great’s armies spread the cane through Egypt and the Mediterranean. Later, the Moors took the cane to Europe having learned the skills of distillation from the Saracens. This knowledge and skills were taken to the Caribbean by the 16th Century Spanish Conquistadors. Their original hopes of finding gold were dashed and so they turned to rum that turned out to be just as profitable. It is funny to think that such a valuable product comes from molasses, the waste product of sugar refinement! With the English, Dutch, Spanish and French colonizing the Caribbean during the 1600’s, rum soon became the corner-stone of the Caribbean economy.
The British Royal Navy has a long history with rum. Life on board the naval vessels of the 1600’s was primitive and hard. It was made harder by the fact there was very few comforts – in particular drink – apart from stale beer and foul water stored for weeks in wooden casks. When Vice-Admiral William Penn captured Spanish Jamaica in 1655, the local rum was brought on board. The sailors must have loved this sweet tasting spirit to lift them out of their misery. By 1731, a daily rum issue was commonplace on board ships stationed in the West Indies. At first, the rum ration simply replaced the beer ration, which meant each sailor was drinking ½ a pint of crude and very strong rum every day in one gulp. Extreme drunkenness was inevitable causing sickness and deaths through accidents. By 1740, Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon ordered that rum was no longer served as a ½ pint ration but at two half rations diluted at 4:1 with water. Vernon’s nickname of “Old Grogram” was shortened to “grog” and used as the name for the ration. Over the years, the ration weakened so that by 1850, the ration was only a quarter of the original amount. With the ever-increasing sophistication of modern weapon systems, the Royal Navy had to abandon the rum ration on July 31st, 1970 – “Black Tot Day” – the final ration was drunk with the traditional toast of “Up Spirits”.
Rum and the USA
In 1654, a General Court order made in Connecticut made rum from the Caribbean illegal but it still became an important part of the colonial North American economy. Food, livestock and timber were traded in exchange for rum, which was a particular favourite of the fisherman and lumberjacks who had to endure harsh winters and cold weather. Despite being illegal, rum was also traded to the North American Indians who drank vast quantities of it. Alcohol abuse devastated the social and economic order in the Indian communities that had already been hit by disease brought over by the European settlers. Combined with the US Cavalry, Rum and disease helped to destroy the American Indians. It took the American Revolution and its inevitable disruption of the economy to slow down the spread of rum to the Indians. Before long, molasses was being shipped to New England for distillation into rum – hundreds of distilleries sprang up and a roaring industry making 12 million gallons of rum a year. Most of the molasses came from French islands as it was cheap. In 1733, the British Government in London passed the first Molasses Act, putting heavy taxes on imports of rum, sugar and molasses from non-British Islands of the Caribbean. This new law was not welcomed in the colonies, as raw materials from British islands were more expensive. It is widely believed that rum played a very crucial role in fueling the flame of discontent that led to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. Rum, smuggled in by rumrunners, helped to keep American spirits high during the years of Prohibition in the States (1919 – 1932). Bootlegging, controlled by the Mob gangsters, was very profitable. A consignment of rum bought on Nassau, Bahamas for $170,000 could be worth up to $2 million on the streets of Chicago. The big players of the were people like “Scarface” Al Capone and Bill the “King of the Rum Row” McCoy (the phrase “The Real McCoy” dates from the 1920’s when Bill McCoy’s rum was famed for its purity and strength) who were rumored to have made as much as $20 million a year!
Production
Rum is made from a sugar cane, saccharum officinarum, which is one of the tallest members of the grass family. The cane can grow up to 14 feet high under tropical conditions. Through modern genetic improvement, the canes are now higher in sugar content and more resistant to disease than the original types. The harvesting of sugar cane takes place as close to the ground as possible. In some places, the fields are torched with fire first to clean away the dead leaves and to drive out snakes. The cane is usually cut by hand using a machete if the farm is on hilly ground or it is too small to need mechanization, although the larger farms use harvesting machines. The plant re-generates by sending out new shoots (“ratoons”) from the base of the ground stalk. These shoots grow towards the sun into stalks that photosynthesize the sucrose found in the cane. In most other plants, this sucrose is turned into starch for energy storage – not so in the sugar cane. It remains in its original form. At the time of harvest, the stems of the cane are spongy and full of the richly sweet sap. The cane deteriorates quickly after harvesting, so it is transported quickly to the mill.
At the mill, the cane is chopped and then passed through a series of rollers and grinders that squeeze the juice out from the stems. The crushed remains of the cane (“bagasse”) are used for variety of things from fuel to chipboard. The green coloured cane juice (“vejou”) is then heated and clarified before being pumped into evaporators that drive off any excess water. The liquid is then cool-boiled in a vacuum to create a syrupy mixture from which Grade A sugar crystals are extracted. The brownish-black liquid that remains is known as Light Molasses. It is both light in colour and flavour and is often used as syrup for desserts. After a second boiling, the molasses is darker and thicker. This molasses is known as black treacle molasses. The third and final boiling gives “Blackstrap” molasses - the stuff from which rum is made. It is very thick, dark and sticky. It tastes slightly bitter even though it still contains approximately 55% of the uncrystalised sugar. It contains lots of the original impurities of the sugar which help give the rum its characteristic flavours and aroma. Rum producers state that it is the unique qualities of the sugar cane, which give their rum the feeling of the island it is from. It takes approximately 1.5 gallons of molasses to make 1 gallon of rum. Rums made from molasses are called “Rhum Industriale” whereas rums made from sugar cane juice are known as “Rhum Agricole” and are commonly found in the French Islands and South America – primarily Brazil (Cachaca).
The next stage is that of fermentation. This, in essence, is all about the action of yeast on sugars. If you put them both in warm, sweet liquid, they multiply rapidly and secrete enzymes that convert sugar into roughly equal amounts of alcohol and carbon dioxide. First, a “Live Wash” is made by mixing the molasses with water so it reaches about a 15% sugar content. The quality of the water is very important, as its mineral content will affect the final rum quality. Cane juice for a Rhum Agricole can be fermented without adding any water, as its sugar content is naturally low enough. Just as sugar cane has been genetically changed to suit its environment, the yeast used has been specially cultured to contribute to the different characteristics and flavours of the rum. However, some producers are happier to use the natural yeasts found in the air to start fermentation. To create a heavier, darker style of rum, often the “Dunder”, or residue of distillation from the still similar to Bourbon’s Sour Mash , is added. “Limings” (the scum that forms on the surface of molasses as the sugar is extracted) can be added to create a more pungent flavour. If a light rum is required, it is fermented for only one or two days, although it can be as low as 12 hours. If the rum is fermented slower – up to 12 days – a heavier style (especially when dunder or limings are added) is produced. The slower fermentation also helps to give a heavier rum as other micro-organisms have a chance to work alongside the yeasts and so contribute their own set of alcohol flavours. A shorter fermentation period does not give these micro-organisms a chance to act in this way. After fermentation, the wash is approximately 5-9% alcohol.
After fermentation, the wash is distilled. Rum can be distilled either using a pot or column still. The type of still used will often be linked to the history of the island. The old English and French colonies will usually use a pot still (the still used in Scotland and Cognac) whereas column stills are mainly used by the old Spanish colonies. Some rums will use a blend of pot and column distilled rums to give a greater depth and complexity to their rums (e.g. Appleton Estate). The pot-distilled rums tend to be heavier as the highest strength after distillation is 85% abv, so there is more room for impurities before bottling. Column distilled rums are lighter, crisper and cleaner with less of the molasses character as they leave the still at a much higher alcoholic volume (96%).
Ageing
Due to the consistently high temperatures in the Caribbean, rum ages at approximately three times the rate of Scotch or Cognac. This ‘Caribbean Ageing’ (or ‘Tropical Ageing’) means that a 7-year-old rum will have many of the same qualities of a 21-year-old Scotch! Even white rums will be aged for a period of time, usually up to three years. The colour is then filtered out using charcoal filtration. The ageing of rum (as with all ageing) gives the rum a smoother, more complex quality. It started when rum producers started to make more rum than the demand required. The excess rum was stored in oak casks, which were also used to transport the rum on ships back to Britain, Spain and France. It was noticed that the spirit gained colour from the wood and a superior taste. The process of ageing is largely not understood, although we know that the spirit takes tannins, flavours and colours from the wood as it is porous and so allows the spirit to move in and out with temperature. This also allows the rum to ‘breathe’ causing complex oxidative changes to the chemical make-up of the spirit. Most barrels used in the Caribbean are used Bourbon barrels. (Due to the laws governing Bourbon, they have no use of second hand barrels and so supply many of the worlds other spirits with barrels for ageing.) These barrels are sometimes re-charred on the inside to help impart more of the character from the wood, as well as to re-caramelise the sugars in the wood. The amount of rum in contact with the wood will affect the rate at which it ages. Therefore, the smaller the barrel, the greater the surface area to volume ratio and the quicker the ageing process within it. Many people believe that a rum peaks in its ageing between 17 and 20 years. This does, however, depend on the style of rum and whether it was made it a pot or column still. During ageing, some of the rum is lost through evaporation through the porous wood. This lost rum is called the ‘Angel’s Share’ (although in Jamaica it is called ‘Duppy’s Share’ – a duppy is a Jamaican ghost or spirit) and accounts for up to a 6% loss per year! In cooler climates, this figure is normally around 2% per year. Often a rum producer will add water to the rum before ageing to bring it down to around 80%abv. This will slightly slow the evaporation without hindering the effect of the wood ageing.
Blending
The vast majority of rums are blended from a mix of styles, ages and types. In some cases (Bacardi) they are blended from rums originating in different countries. Some rums are also coloured with caramel at this stage to ensure a consistency of colour within the product as well as, in some cases, to help give a sweeter, more carameled taste and aroma. Once the different rums have been selected for blending, they are allowed to ‘marry’ together after being reduced to bottling strength with water. Again, the quality of water is very important and is often boasted about by the rum producer.
Styles of Rum
There are no legal definitions as to the classification of rum but here is a rough guide:
White/Light/Silver – Clear coloured, light bodied and dry. Most are column-distilled and work as a fairly neutral base for a cocktail. E.g. Bacardi Carta Blanco, Havana Club Silver Dry.
Gold/Oro/Ambre – Medium bodied, slightly sweet rums. Can be made in either type of still. Colour comes from the wood although some caramel can be added. Good mixed or drunk neat/rocks. E.g. Appleton V/X, Mount Gay Eclipse
Dark/Black – Usually made in pot stills and aged in heavily charred barrels. These are the more traditional styles of rum. They are very aromatic and full-bodied with a large molasses note. Often caramel is added for colour and flavour. E.g. Lambs Navy Rum, Woods 100
Premium Aged/Anejo/Rhum Vieux – Amber-hued, well-matured rums thought of very highly by rum connoisseurs. The “Cognac of the Caribbean”. E.g. Havana Club 15Yr Old, Appleton Extra
Single Marks/Single Barrel – Very rare rums from a single distillery. Often bottled from individual casks or from vintage years. E.g. Cruzan Single Barrel, J. Bally 1976
Overproof – mainly a category filled with white rums. Needs to have an abv over 57%. Very strong, very powerful – not for the faint hearted. Usually used in punches or longer drinks. E.g. Wray & Nephew Overproof (68%abv), Bacardi 151 (75.5%abv)
Cachaca – The main cane spirit in South America. It is also known as “Aguardiente de cana”. It is made from the sugar cane juice and is so a Rum Agricole.
Houses
The following are the main houses of rum that you should know about:
Angostura (Trinidad) – The producers of the famous bitters have also been making rum for nearly a century. The story starts when, in Venezuela, Dr. J.G.B. Siegart (a German physician) developed a mixture of tropical herbs, spices and alcohols for use as a medicinal tonic. The product took its name from the town in which the Dr. was stationed. The business thrived and in 1936, it moved to Trinidad where they began making their own base alcohols. Angostura, as well as their own rum label, make a lot of rums for use in other blends.
Appleton Estate/J. Wray & Nephew (Jamaica) – The Appleton Estate was founded in the 1740’s and occupies 3,700 acres in Jamaica’s Nassau Valley. The estate provides over 65% of the cane for all J. Wray & Nephew’s rums, which are exported all over the world. J. Wray & Nephew make rums under the brands of Appleton Estate, J. Wray & Nephew and Coruba. Appleton Estate rums are made exclusively using cane from the estate itself.
Bacardi (orig. Cuba, now global) – Bacardi has been family owned for six generations and owns the world’s best selling brand (over 20 million cases per year!) recognizable in over 175 countries. It began with Don Facundo Bacardi y Maso who immigrated to Cuba in 1830. The local rum was harsh, fiery and dark, so he set about ways to improve it. In 1862, he bought a small rum distillery with his sons and started to make the world’s first white rum. It was also a rum of a completely new taste to what had been made before. It quickly became Cuba’s favourite rum and was known in the world’s capitals for its taste. The overseas operations of Bacardi began in 1910 when a bottling plant was opened in Spain. Bacardi found this to be a good way of avoiding import taxes and duties and decided to open another plant in Mexico during the 1930’s. In 1936, rum started to be distilled by Bacardi outside of Cuba when a distillery was opened in Puerto Rico. This allowed Bacardi to avoid the $1.00 import tax imposed on Cuban products entering the USA. During the Cuban Revolution (1960), all of Bacardi’s assets were seized illegally. They carried on making their rum outside of Cuba and now run operations in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Brazil, Canada, Martinique, Panama, Spain and Trinidad. The bat logo was adopted early in the life of the brand. Don Facundo’s wife chose it as a symbol of good luck and family unity as there were bats living in the roof of the distillery.
Barbancourt (Haiti) – This is Haiti’s signature rum. A Frenchman called Dupre Barbancourt, who used to distill Cognac in France, founded the distillery in 1862. The rum is a Rhum Agricole made using sugar cane juice fermented for three days. It is then double distilled in copper pot stills to 90%abv. It is then diluted to 50%abv and matured in French Limousin oak. They are bottled at either 40% or 43%abv.
Captain Morgan (orig. Jamaica) – Captain Morgan rum has been made for about 300 years. Henry Morgan was the Governor of Jamaica and began to cultivate sugar cane on his land. It is the largest selling dark rum in the UK and is the second bestselling rum in the world. They make a famous spiced rum – Morgan’s Spiced Rum.
Clement (Martinique) – The Clement distillery was founded in 1887 by M. Homere Clement. It is a Rhum Agricole made using the sugar cane juice rather than molasses. It is seen as one of the best examples of a Caribbean Rhum Agricole.
Cruzan (US Virgin Islands) – The distillery is located in St. Croix on the Estate Diamond. It has been run by the Nelthropp family since it was founded. It uses molasses shipped in from the Dominican Republic as well as from Central and South America. The rums are column distilled and aged for a minimum of two years.
El Dorado/Demerara Distillers (Guyana) – The Demerara Distillers have been making rum for over 300 years. Their main mark is the El Dorado brand. They make full-bodied darker styles of rum and use traditional techniques in making their rum. They use dunder in their rums and age them in ex-Bourbon barrels.
Gosling’s Black Seal (Bermuda) – This is a style of dark rum. The company doesn’t actually make any of its own rums – they only blend them. The Gosling brothers (James and Ambrose) started blending in 1860 calling their product “Old Rum”. It was bottled in old champagne bottles that had to be re-sealed using wax. The wax was black and so was born the name “Goslings Black Seal”. To make a true “Dark ‘n’ Stormy”, you have to use Goslings rum, otherwise it is called a “Dark and Stormy”.
Havana Club (Cuba) – The distillery was founded in 1878. It is the largest brand in Cuba and is well known throughout the world. The rums are made in column stills that are said to be the slowest in the world. The rum is then aged for a minimum of 18 months in American White Oak casks (ex-Bourbon).
Lamb’s (orig. London) – Lamb’s is another example of a dark rum brand that doesn’t make its own rum. Alfred Lamb formed the brand in London in 1849. He aged and blended the rums in London, in cellars by the River Thames, from countries around the world which gave it great local appeal. It is now bottled in countries all over the world.
Mount Gay (Barbados) – The Mount Gay estates in Barbados are amongst the oldest in the Caribbean, dating from 1663. The estate and distillery was originally owned by Dr. William Gay. Both pot and column stills are used in the production of the rums. The rum is matured in lightly charred ex-bourbon barrels.
Myers’s (Jamaica) – Myers’s Rum is the largest selling, premium dark rum in America. It was the original rum used in the Planters Punch cocktail and sold over the world.
Pirassununga 51 (Brazil) – This is Brazil’s leading brand of Cachaca and the only one exported with any global volume. There are over 600 brands of Cachaca exported, so competition is extreme and the styles are varied.
Wood’s 100 Old Navy (Guyana) – This dark rum is sold at an overproof strength of 57%abv. It is distilled in Guyana and blended in the UK and Canada.
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e&o excepted.
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