Rum

Presentation

On

Rum

SHORT HISTORY OF RUM

The history of rum is the history of the Caribbean and North America.

From its invention in the 17th century in Barbados (or some claim Brazil), rum has had an international trade influence that no other spirit can rival.

It was an integral part of trade across the Atlantic Ocean from the 17th century to the 19th century, and eventually played a key cultural role in the 20th century.

PLANTATION INVENTION

Rum was made first by plantation African-born slaves.

These slaves harvested sugarcane that was turned into sugar and shipped off to Europe.

One of the by-products was molasses, and the slaves discovered that molasses could be fermented into a crude alcohol.

Then they went the extra step and distilled the fermented molasses into rum.

RUM PRODUCTION

Rum is produced from either sugar cane juice or from the sweet, sticky residue left over when sugarcane is crushed and the juices heated.

The heating causes the juices to solidify into sugar leaving this residue called the molasses.

The molasses are then mixed with water and re-boiled to produce a sweet liquid called the mash which is then mixed yeast and left to ferment.

The molasses will contain around 30-40% sugar; molasses with higher amounts of sugar will produce more rum.

FERMENTATION The fermentation time depends on the style of the

rum; light rums are fermented for around 24 hours whereas dark rums can be fermented for up to 3 weeks.

The way the yeast acts with the molasses and the length of time the fermentation lasts will greatly influence the style of the rum.

The shorter the fermentation the lighter the rum and the longer the fermentation the more full bodied the rum. This is due to the build up of impurities in the fermentation process.

Some rum makers will use a system of continuous fermentation, as this is a more efficient and less expensive method of rum production.

The fermented liquid is called the wash.

DISTILLATION Light rums are highly rectified in continuous stills and

are often filtered through activated (hot) charcoal to remove the impurities.

These are known as single distillates and will usually be blended with other rums.

Gold (añejo) and dark rums are usually distilled in pot stills.

Distilling in a pot still is generally done twice as this increases the alcoholic strength and also removes more unwanted impurities.

Pot distilled rums are fuller bodied with a rich flavour that continuous distilled rums.

As with light rums, pot distilled rums will usually be blended.

AGING White Agricultural Rum : 3 months before bottling,

the rum is stored in huge wooden tuns to be "rounded out". It is then brought to desired degrees for commercialization (40° to 62°) with spring water.

Golden agricultural rum or amber agricultural rum : the rum is stored for at least 12 months in wooden containers.

Old or aged agricultural rum or also dark agricultural rum : Must be placed in an oak barrel a minimum of 3 years for the VO label (rhum vieux), 4 years for the VSOP label (rhum très vieux) and up to 6 years for an aged vintage XO label rum (rhum hors d'âge). It is the tannin in the wood which bestows the warm hues while the taste is transformed as the years go by.

BLENDING

Blending is the way rum producers develop their own unique brands and it also allows them to produce each brand consistently.

Most producers will blend a mixture of rums from continuous still and rums from pot stills to create their brands; the rum from the continuous will be light in flavour but will contain vanilla and oak flavours and the rum from the pot still will provide the body, the esters and other flavour components.

The blender will also use rums from the continuous still that will have differing levels of rectification (purification); these will be aged in barrels and used in the blend.

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Light Rum - also known as silver or white rum, these types of rums have little flavor, apart from a general sweetness that the drink has.

As a result, they are often used in cocktails. Light rums are filtered sometimes to remove any color after aging.

Most of the light rums come from Puerto Rico. Their milder taste makes them ideal for using in

drinks instead of drinking them straight.

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Gold Rums – these are also known as amber rums. They are aged for a longer time than lighter rums.

Due to the types of casks used to age them they have a darker hue.

They have a woodsy flavor given the wood casks used to age them.

They have a stronger taste than the lighter types of rum and can be categorized as being between the lighter rums and the other darker categories.

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Dark Rum - Known for their particular hue such as brown, red rums or black, this type of rum are a grade darker than the gold rum.

They are aged in strong barrels, for longer time this gives them a stronger flavor than the gold or light rums.

There are small hints of spices together with a strong molasses or caramel tinge.

Dark rum is commonly used in cooking and are often produced in Haiti and Jamaica

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Spiced Rum – These are types of rums that are made from mixing different types of spices.

They pick their tastes from the various spices used to make them.

Most of these rums are darker in color and are founded on gold rums.

Some of the spiced rums are dark in color, but one can find cheaper variations of the drink made from cheap brands of white rum that are later darkened with caramel to give them the dark color.

Spices used on these types of rums include rosemary, pepper, and cinnamon among other types of spices.

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Flavored Rums – Are rums that are infused with different fruit flavors.

Fruits commonly used are bananas, orange, coconut, mango, citrus, lime or strafruit.

Flavored rums are used to give flavor to other drinks that have been similarly themed.

They are either drank alone or mixed with white ice. They have less than 40 percent alcohol

TYPE OF RUM!!!

Premium Rum – These are the luxury type of rum available in the market.

They cost higher than the regular types of rums because of the way they are produced.

They are carefully aged and produced to meet high standards making them cost higher than the regular types of rums.

They are often drank straight without having to mix with other drinks like the other types.

They come with more flavor and character, given the way they are made.

TOP TEN BRANDS

OF RUM!!!