Rum, a beloved spirit with a rich history and diverse range of flavors, has intrigued enthusiasts for centuries. But have you ever wondered about the origins of this popular beverage? In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the fascinating world of rum and explore its origins, ingredients, and production process.
1. The origin and history of rum
The word rum comes from the Malay word brum or bram. This type of wine brewed from sugar cane is called rum and is still used today. Rum, also known as fire wine, was an essential munition for the navy before the 1870s. At the same time, pirates who roamed the Caribbean in the past liked to drink rum, so it was also nicknamed “Pirates’ Wine”.
In the 17th century, sugar cane was discovered in the Caribbean, and the sugar industry developed rapidly. Its by-product molasses was used to make wine and became a popular spirit in the world. In the 18th century, rum was as popular as brandy in England. From the mid-18th century to the 19th century, Caribbean islands began to gradually produce rum, from the earliest Barbados to Jamaica, then to Haiti, Cuba, etc.
2. Definition and classification of rum
Rum (rum): Rum is a distilled liquor produced from sugar cane or molasses through fermentation, distillation, and aging with or without oak barrels. It is also called rum or rum. Its alcohol content Generally not less than 37.5%vol.
Flavored rum: A beverage made with rum as the base, adding natural flavors and flavors for food, and can be mixed with or without sugar.
According to color:
Silver Rum, Gold Rum, Dark Rum.
Silver rum, also known as white rum, refers to wine that has not been aged in oak barrels after distillation. The wine is colorless, has a light aroma, and has a dry taste.
Golden rum, also known as amber rum, refers to wine that is aged in oak barrels for a certain period of time after distillation. The color of the wine ranges from light yellow to golden yellow, the aroma is rich, and the taste is smooth and fragrant.
Black rum, also known as red rum, refers to wine that is aged in oak barrels for a longer period of time after distillation. A certain amount of caramel color can be added as needed during the production process. This kind of wine has a rich color, deep golden yellow, brown red or dark brown, rich and complex aroma, mellow taste and long aftertaste.
According to the intensity of flavor and aroma:
Light rum is similar to silver rum; neutral rum is similar to golden rum; strong rum is similar to dark rum.
Product style and characteristics: Due to the processing of sugar cane, clarification of sugar cane juice, fermentation, distillation, aging methods, etc. in the production process of rum, they will have a decisive impact on the final style and quality of rum. Rather than talking about a certain It is a rum-like style, rather than each rum having its own characteristics.
Rum styles are mainly divided into four categories:
Silver rum, golden rum, black rum, spiced rum
Silver rum (colorless): Generally not aged in oak barrels. Some producers will choose short-term oak barrel aging to soften the taste and finally absorb and filter out the color. Most white rums have a light to medium color. the taste of.
Golden rum (golden yellow): Generally rich and complex, the taste is slightly sweet due to aging in oak barrels. The color and flavor come primarily from the oak barrels.
Dark Rum: The flavor is more towards dried fruit and sweet spices, such as dried figs, raisins, cloves, and cinnamon. It has a full and smooth body, strong and complex alcohol.
Spiced rum: Most of this type of rum uses golden rum as the base, adding herbs, spices, etc., and caramel to adjust the color of the wine. Common spices include: cinnamon, fennel seeds, rosemary, pepper, and more. Spiced rum is not allowed in the European Union, the style of rum that comes from the Caribbean.
3. Rum production technology
Raw material:
- Sugarcane juice produced by directly pressing sugarcane
- The by-product of sugar cane sugar production: molasses, most of the rum is brewed from molasses.
- Concentrated sugar cane syrup
- Molasses alcohol
Craftsmanship:
Sugarcane juice processing
For the process of direct fermentation with cane juice, the cane juice needs to be clarified before fermentation. Its clarification treatment is also divided into physical method and chemical method.
Alcoholic fermentation of cane juice
Temperature-controlled fermentation is carried out by adding yeast. Since the acidity of sugarcane juice is low, the acidity of the fermented mash needs to be adjusted during fermentation to ensure the smooth progress of fermentation and the suppression of miscellaneous bacteria.
Alcoholic fermentation of molasses
Molasses has a high sugar content and needs to be diluted before it can be fermented. At the same time, it contains other colloidal substances that also need to be pretreated. During fermentation, it is necessary to add acidulant and yeast nutrient to ensure the smooth progress of fermentation.
Alcohol distillation
- The process of distilling the rum base into a concentrated spirit.
- Commonly used ones include pot stills and tower stills. There are commonly used double-tower and multi-tower
- tower stills, and the classic double distillation method is most commonly used in pot stills.
- The quality and style of rum distilled by different distillation methods are different.
- The pot-type intermittent double-distilled rum has a pure taste and a mellow body.
- The wine that is steamed once will have a richer fruity aroma.
- Tower-distilled rum is purer, but has a lighter taste.
Aging
After distillation, the rum enters the storage and aging stage, which reduces the burnt aroma produced during distillation, weakens the irritation, and makes the wine softer, but this is not a legal requirement for all rums.
Depending on the purpose and needs of winemaking, aging can be done in different ways and containers. Aging can be done in oak barrels or without oak barrels. The choice of oak barrels affects the style and quality of the rum.
It is a critical step that ultimately determines the quality and style of the rum product. Manufacturers have base liquors of different years and styles, so there are also different flavors. Based on experience and liquor quality requirements, winemakers blend rums with unique tastes and styles in proportion.
4.Standards and regulations
Maximum alcohol content of distilled concentrate: EU: 96%, US: 95%
Minimum alcohol content requirements: EU: above 37.5%, US: above 40%
EU: Flavoring is not allowed, and the amount of sugar liquid added to adjust the taste must not exceed 20g/liter; sugar is not allowed to be added to traditional rum.
Caribbean: Caramel can only use caramel made from sugar cane juice, which can only be used to adjust the color, and herbs and spices can be added.
Martinique has its own AOC, which is subject to legal restrictions. For example, it is stipulated that distillation requires the use of continuous column distillation equipment with at least 20 trays. The alcohol content of newly distilled liquor is between 65-75%vol. The use of oak chips for aging rum is permitted in the United States.
5. Rum producing areas
More than 40 countries and regions around the world produce rum, and the entire Americas are concentrated in a large number of rum-producing countries and regions.
Caribbean
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guyana and other countries.
Guyana
Rum production began in 1650 under Dutch rule. Now Demerara Distillers Ltd (DDL) is the main distilling company, producing an extremely rich range of base liquors.
JamaicaJamaica
This is the only island nation that can rival Guyana in terms of diversity of rum styles. Historically, pot stills have been used here for centuries to produce the most powerful styles of rum.
French agricultural rum Rhum Agricole
Location: French Antilles. Under EU law, agricultural rum must be made by fermenting sugar cane juice. Agricultural rum is stimulating and full of botanical flavors when young, with aromas of sugar cane, green leaves, apples, grass, unripe bananas, fennel and violets, as well as some oily texture.
Latin America
Brazil, Panama, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Bolivia and other countries
Brazil ranks first in the world in sugar cane production and sugar cane juice production in the world. Its rum production is second only to soju and more than vodka.
India-Philippine production area
India, Philippines. The Philippines is home to Tanduay, the world’s second largest rum brand.
6. Top ten rum brands
Bacardi Rum Origin: Santiago
Origin: San Diego. This brand was founded in 1862. It has become the world’s largest family-run spirits company, with its products sold in more than 170 countries. The bottle of Bacardi rum has a very eye-catching bat pattern, which is a symbol of good luck and wealth in Cuban culture.
Tanduay Rum Origin: Philippines
The Philippines has always been a major rum-producing country, but most of the rum produced is cheap rum of mediocre quality, mostly priced at around 20 yuan. Founded in 1854, Tanduy is currently the best-selling rum in Asia. Global sales increased slightly by 0.61%, but it is far from the peak sales of 20 million boxes in 2021.
Celebration No. 1 (McDowell’s) Rum Origin: India
No. 1 Celebration Rum, a division of United Spirits, was first released in 1991 with an initial release of only 100,000 cases. Now Celebration No. 1 has become the fastest growing rum brand in the world. It is sold in 13 countries around the world. It is the largest rum brand in India, occupying 45% of the market share in India.
Captain Morgan Rum Origin: Jamaica
In 1944, the Seagram Company first released Captain Morgan rum, named after Sir Henry Morgan, a famous 17th-century Caribbean pirate. The brand has also been actively promoting its white rum and other new products, including pumpkin-flavored rum and coconut-flavored rum.
Havana Club Rum Origin: Cuba
Havana Club Rum is produced in Santa Cruz Norte, Cuba. Since 1994, Havana Club Rum has been jointly operated by Pernod Ricard and the Cuban government in a 50:50 joint venture.
Countess/Contessa Rum Origin: India
India’s local brand is widely praised by military groups and accounts for 25% of the Indian defense sector spirits market. Although it is also exported to Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and is currently training to enter North America, it is still very dependent on the local market in India.
Old Cask Rum Origin: India
Also from India, it represents the traditional style of Indian rum and has an aging period of more than 15 years. It is very dark in color and exudes elegant aromas of cherries, stone fruits, butterscotch and oak. It has a smooth taste and a lean body with an alcohol content of 40% abv.
Ron Medellin Rum Origin: Colombia
The rum brand from Colombia is one of the pure rum brands in the world. It is produced in a natural way and has a unique and rich taste. The casks used in the preparation do not contain any artificial flavors and are available in many fruit flavors for a unique taste.
Montilla Rum Origin: Brazil
Introduced in Brazil by Pernod Ricard in 1957, but takes its name from Spain, it is the most popular brand of rum in most of Brazil.
Cacique Rum Origin: India
Chief rum is produced in Venezuela and has been on the market since 1959. It is a product of Diageo and is the best-selling rum in Venezuela. “Chief” includes a variety of rum products, such as Chief Origen, Chief 500, etc. The most expensive one is Chief Antiguo.
