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Rum...Ron..Rhum /
a brief history |
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Origins of people making rum dates back at least 3,000 years ago. The fermented juice of sugarcane was produced first in Asia, made its way through North Africa to Spain and finally Christopher Columbus brought the technique it to the New World. It was a barter commodity that helped drive the slave trade and much of commerce in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The majority of rum is of the clear or white variety. It is the fuel for a host of fun cocktails that starts with rum and cola, moves on through Daiquiris, Planter’s Punch and Pina Coladas, and ends with mixtures of just about any fruit juice known to man. Rum is the ultimate mixable. But in recent years, the world has discovered what Caribbean people have known for centuries: dark, aged rum offers the same enjoyment and smooth character as an aged Cognac, single malt Scotch or Bourbon. After about five years of aging in oak barrels, the natural molasses color turn amber and golden, and the flavors of maturity—vanilla, nuts and spices—come out on the palate. Rum is produced all over the world including Australia and India however, the majority of today’s commercial rum is produced around the Caribbean. Most rum begins as molasses, i.e., the by-product that remains after the crystallized sugar has been removed from the sugar cane stalk. Other methods use sugarcane juice, such as rums from the French Caribbean countries like Haiti and Martinique to produce a more refined sprit. The fact that rum is produced from molasses and sugarcane puts it one step ahead of whisky or vodka makers; in these grain-based products, starches from the grains must first be transformed into sugar and than fermented. The range of fermentation and distillation techniques that follows are remarkably diverse. Some rum makers use a natural, slow fermentation of up to 12 days; others use a controlled fermentation with a secret yeast that produces results in a couple of days. Some use copper pot stills, much like Cognac stills, to refine their raw spirits; others use modern column stills that tend to produce cleaner (with less impurities and flavor), more neutral spirits. Pusser’s in the British West Indies uses a 200 year old wooden pot still in lieu of metal. After distillation—like fine wine or Cognac—rum is then aged in a variety of ways depending on the manufacture. For example, Barbancourt from Haiti is aged in Limousine oak similar to that used in the production of Cognac; St. Croix, Cruzan Single Barrel is oak aged, and Angustra 1824, is aged in charred American oak bourbon barrels. Aging add color and flavor to the rum. It also mellows the flavors to mature the bouquet (aromas) and taste. The length of aging is determined by the maker’s taste preferences. Almost all of the so-called aged or dark rums are blends of rums of different ages. The rich, full-bodied sipping rums are slow-fermented, distilled in pot stills and aged a long time in oak like Appleton and Myers rum from Jamaica. However, unlike wine rum stops aging when it’s sealed in the bottle. The only number that matters is the number of years aged in oak. Like wine, there is no single global standard for categorizing rum. Instead, rum is defined by the varying rules and laws of the nations that produce the spirit. For example, the sprit proof and minimum aging depends on its origin. Martinique is widely considered one of the finest producers of aged rums. A major exporter to France, the island makes rum under the same exacting government standards—the Appellation d’Origine Controlee—applied to French cheeses and wine. Clement, established in 1887, produces the Cuvee Special that we feature here at Sweet Plantains. This awarding winning rum is highly polished, and flavorsome. Made from free-run sugarcane juice, column-distilled and aged in oak cask for seven years to mellow and mature. Connoisseurs can often identify the country of origin of a rum by taste. Generally speaking, Spanish Speaking islands such as Puerto Rican (Bacardi Ron) and Cuba (Havana Club Ron) rums tend to be lighter style with a spicy clean taste. While French Speaking islands such as Haiti (Barbancourt Rhum) and Martinique (Clement Rhum) produces a more Cognac style rum referred to as agricultural rum (rhum agricole)made from sugarcane juice, these fine rums have an aromas of fresh cane, with gentle oak and spice flavors English Speaking islands rums are molases based and tend to be the heaviest and darkest rums. Jamaica’s Appleton 21 years, Bermuda’s Goslings and Tortola’s Pusser’s are perfect examples of this style. However, there are new artisanal rum producers. Producer that claim to be “Rum’s Redeemer.” For example, 10 Cane Rum from Trinidad is made using only the first pressing of the sugarcane. (The first pressing yields the richest, tastiest juices.) 10 Cane Rum is made by Moet Hennessy’s master distiller Jean Pinequ using the French high exacting Cognac production standards and methodologies to produce an ultra-premium rum. Mexico based Porfidio, makers of some of the world’s finest tequila makes a Single Barrel Anejo rum made from the finest sugarcane juice. This rum is aged in new oak, which is very expensive, however, it produces a rum that with a clean sugarcane taste. As with Cognac, Bourbon and Scotch, traditions run deep in the rum-making industry. Set amidst the ruins of an old plantation in Estate Diamond, St. Croix, the Nelthropp family, for example, has been making rum in the Virgin Island for seven generations, and the family coat-of-arms is embossed on every bottle of Cruzan rum sold. Cruzan Single Barrel Estate Rum is the United States Virgin Island’s top premium rum and a big export brand. Cruzan Rum is the recipient of over thirty six prestigious awards including the highest rating for premium rum, dark rum and flavored rums. Try Cruzan Single Barrel Estate rum at Sweet Plantains and taste pure mouth pleasure. © 2005 Prince Adams |
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