Rum is more than a spirit drink

Rum has new suitors to enter the market

Rum. In the beginning

Rum is more than a spirit drink. Rum has played an important role in world economies and politics. Rum was used as currency, in religious rituals, a symbol associated with debauchery among the Temperance Crusaders, and as a wholesome part of the diet and drink of the British Navy.

Rum was a major export of colonial New England and played an important role in entrepreneurial societies. He oiled the cultural and economic processes that created and fueled the slave trade, sparked mutinies against the captains who held it back and the governors who tried to regulate it. Rum was celebrated by authors, used in toasts by politicians, and offered solace and rewards to laborers who cut the cane and, after drinking it, returned to the fields to make more rum.

Until the 21st century

Sugarcane was first grown in Papua New Guinea and first fermented in -350 BC in India, where the drinks were mainly used as medicine. It was cultivated and transported to Africa and Spain. In the 1400s, explorers opened up trade routes and remote islands offered perfect climates for growing sugar cane and they had access to plenty of water. In the Azores, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean, slaves provided the labor.

African slavers accepted many forms of payment to supply slaves to European settlers and the most sought payment was alcohol. Barbados in the early 1600s had a perfect climate for sugarcane, and explorer Richard Ligon brought sugarcane expertise from Brazil, including equipment, slaves, and cultivation techniques. distillation on the island. Thanks to Ligon, in less than 10 years, the sugar barons of Barbados became among the wealthiest in the world, with a thriving sugar and rum export industry.

In the mid-17th century (1655), Admiral Penn of the British fleet captured Jamaica from the Spanish and replaced the beer ration with locally made sugar cane liquor. When he left Jamaica, he discovered that rum had the natural advantage of staying sweet in the barrel longer than water or beer.

In the 18th century (1731), the Navy Board made rum the official daily ration, with a pint of wine or half a pint of rum to be issued in two equal amounts per day. It was a precious right and privilege that protected them from the misery and brutality of life on the ocean waves. In the 19th century (1850), the rum ration was fixed at one-eighth of a pint until it was abolished in 1970.

The Navy’s last issue occurred on July 31, 1970, known as “Black Tot Day” and the First Sea Lord noted, “a big tot in the middle of the day was not the best remedy for those who had to manage the electronic mysteries of the Navy”. .”

What is rum

Rum is produced in over 80 countries, and unique blends can be found in Africa, Asia, South America, the Caribbean, the Philippines, the United States, Europe, and Scandinavian countries. Recently, aged versions of rum have been revisited and redesigned and many are now receiving the same acclaim and consideration as fine Scotch whisky, noting that rum is as complex as wine.

The most basic type of rum is pure fermented sugar cane juice and called Rhum Agricole or Cachaca and produced in Brazil as well as in the former French colonies. Boutique distillers in other parts of the world are now expanding their styles and using this processed product to enter new markets.

There is no generally accepted generic term for rums made from sugarcane juice, although distillers in the French Caribbean maintain that only their products should be named Rhum Agricole and Brazilian law states that Cachaca should not can be produced only in this country.

Cane rum can only be made when the sugar plants are ripe and producing fresh juice; however, molasses-based rums can be made year-round from stored products. Distillers who use molasses as a raw material are unlikely to adopt the French term for their rums, Rhum Industriel.

Molasses is the sludge left over from boiled cane juice after the extraction of crystalline sugar. What is not made into rum can be bottled for culinary use or added to animal feed. Raw molasses has many flavors depending on the cane, soil and climate.

Rum distillers prefer to use casks previously used for wines or bourbon to infuse their product with a more complex flavor during the aging process; some countries require the rum to be in the cellar for at least 8 months to be said to be aged; others require 2 years and others set no guidelines.

Distillation is the process of concentrating essences from a fermented mixture called must and is frequently attributed to Arab and Persian alchemists of the Middle Ages. However, this assumption was overturned when a complete terracotta pot still was identified in a museum in Taxila, Pakistan. This pot still (originally used 5000 years ago) is a domed lidded clay pot with a removable spout that empties into a covered bowl and is currently in a modern distillery.

Rums get a grade

Some rums reflect local tastes while others are aimed at a global market. The grade and variations depend on the locale:

o White or clear rum. Most sold at 80 degrees (40% alcohol by volume); often at least 1 year old; filtered to remove color.

o Gold or Pale Rum. Often several years old; a dye can be added to give consistency; look for subtle flavors of vanilla, almond, citrus, caramel or coconut depending on the type of cask used in the aging process.

o Dark rum. Frequently aged in oak barrels for long periods; tastier than white rums, overproof and perhaps spiced rums.

o Dark rum. Made from molasses; retains much of the rich molasses and caramel flavor; can be colored with burnt caramel to achieve an even shade; essential in pastry and confectionery; delivers bold sweet-spicy flavors to cakes, candies, desserts and sauces; the casks are frequently charred or heavily baked, giving the liquid much of the strong flavors of the wood.

o Marine Rum. Traditional dark and full-bodied rums associated with Britain’s Royal Navy.

o Premium aged rum. Often labeled “Anejo” in Spanish territories; tasted neat or on the rocks; take on darker, richer colors due to time spent in barrels; may contain statements in the United States and other countries referring to age referring to the youngest rum in the blend.

o Vintage Rum. Most rums sold in the United States are blended from several sources before bottling; some unique rums are bottled from specific production years; labeled with the year they were distilled and the place of their origin.

o Overproof. Most rums for sale in the United States are 80-100 (40-50% alcohol).

o Agricultural Rum. Fermented and distilled from pure fresh cane juice; distilled to around 70 percent alcohol allowing the Rum to retain more of the original flavor of whole cane juice; specific category of Rum produced mainly in the French territories of the Caribbean, in particular Martinique.

o Old Rum. Aged French rum

Reliable. Professional Rum Leadership

Eric Holmes Kaye, with a background in music and advertising, and Maura Gedid, with a background in investor relations and corporate communications, bring unique experiences to the rum/spirits industry. Their passion for rums and the insatiable quest for new taste experiences allow neophytes as well as rum enthusiasts to discover unique new rums hassle-free through their entrepreneurial endeavors through Holmes Cay Rum. Through Holmes Cay, consumers can obtain limited edition rums featuring exceptional blends from a wide range of regions including South Africa and Fiji,

Holmes Cay selects the finest limited edition rums in small batches that are distilled and bottled without additives. Single Cask editions are aged in barrels and Single Origin editions combine multiple casks and production styles to create original expressions of a given distillery or region.

In order to appreciate the Holmes Cay collection, immediately discard all previous notions of what rum is, isn’t, and/or could be. Open your eyes, nose, mouth and mindset, and get ready for a rum transformation:

1. Mhoba 2017 South Africa. First South African rum sold in the United States. Look for the aroma of cane sugar combined with the taste of grilled pineapple, white pepper and tropical fruits enhanced by a suggestion of fennel. The medium finish is a surprise that becomes even more unique against a smoky background.

2. Fiji Rum. Single Origin Edition 2004. This is a pot blend of lightly aged molasses and column distilled rums from the South Pacific distilleries in Lautoka, Fiji. Bottled without tampering beyond the addition of water and bottled in a small batch of 2260 bottles. Be careful as Fiji rum is bottled at higher strengths than commonly blended rums.

A light yellow tint defines the visual experience. Cut grass, citrus fruits (especially lemon zest and bitter orange zest), pine needles and pepper reward the nose while the palate experiences cloves and honey and the surprise finish (?) – a touch of hay and pepper.

3. Uitvlgut. 2003. Guyana. Only four barrels (858 bottles) of this rum were produced. Aged for 2 years in Guyana and 16 years in the UK in ex-bourbon casks before being bottled through the barrel of 102 proof in New York State in 2012.

The unique aroma/taste is created without sugar, coloring or other flavors; bottled barrel-proof, or 51 percent alcohol by volume.

Made from molasses, the column still rum delivers a rich aroma of golden honey lightened with the smell of seawater. The palate reveals overripe tropical fruits, almonds, herbs and cocoa.

© Dr. Elinor Garely. This copyrighted article may not be reproduced without the written permission of the author.

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