Rum is a distilled spirit that’s made from fermented sugar cane juice, molasses, or other sweet natural juices. It’s clear and golden in color, with a subtle sweetness and mellow flavor that’s slightly reminiscent of honey, vanilla, and caramel. This pleasant taste makes rum the most popular spirit world-wide after vodka. It comes in different varieties and production methods: light or dark; unaged or aged; and raw, extract, or neutral. Each variety has its own unique properties and characteristics. The production process for rum is quite complicated because of the many steps involved in making it. This article explains everything you should know about how rum is made – from fermenting sugar to distilling it into its final product.
What’s in Rum?
All varieties of rum are made from molasses and fresh sugar cane juice, which are fermented together to produce alcohol. The different types of rum vary in their fermentation and distillation processes, which determine the final flavor, alcohol content, and color. The flavor of a rum depends on where it’s made, what ingredients are used, the fermentation and distillation methods, and how the liquor is aged. The aging process imparts a darker color and richer flavor to the rum. The color of rum is determined by the length of time it’s aged in oak barrels. White or silver rums are aged in stainless steel tanks and don’t change color. Dark rums are aged in barrels that previously held another liquor, such as bourbon or scotch. These barrels are often made of charred oak staves, which give the rum a deeper color and richer flavor.
Step 1: Sugar Cane Harvesting and Mashing
Sugarcane is cut and pressed to extract the juice, which is then fermented to produce a syrupy and sticky substance called molasses. The molasses is then transferred to a large tank where it’s mixed with water and enzymes to create a sugar-rich liquid. The liquid is then heated until it turns into a thick substance that’s pressed and filtered to produce sugar crystals. Molasses is then transferred to a large tank where it’s mixed with water and enzymes to create a sugar-rich liquid. The liquid is then heated until it turns into a thick substance that’s pressed and filtered to produce sugar crystals.
Step 2: Fermenting the Sugars
The next step involves fermenting the sugars together with yeast. Yeast is a single-celled organism that ferments sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Alcoholic fermentation produces energy for the yeast to live and grow and emits CO2 as a byproduct. The fermentation process starts with the addition of a starter. This is a selected supply of yeast that’s added to the fermented sugar solution. It’s then allowed to ferment until it reaches the desired strength.
Step 3: Distilling the Rum
Fermented liquids containing more than 15% alcohol are called “distilled spirits,” and rum is one of them. This is because the fermentation process produces a liquid with an alcohol content that’s higher than that of the original sugar or molasses. A typical column still can produce between 1,000 and 2,000 gallons of rum per day. The standard column process uses two columns – one for the fermentation and one for distillation. The fermented liquid is transferred to the first column and distilled into a distillate. The distillate is then transferred to the second column where it’s mixed with steam and cooled to create a liquid with a lower temperature. This results in a condensed liquid that’s the final product – that’s a clear liquid consisting of about 80% alcohol.
Step 4: Clarifying and Decanting
Some of the impurities are removed during distillation. However, some remains dissolved in the rum and can affect the taste and color. The rum is then clarified in a process called “nettling” and “decanted” to remove impurities and unwanted compounds. During the nettling process, the rum is treated with activated carbon. This removes some of the impurities from the drink and improves the color. Decanting is the process of transferring the clear liquid from the fermentation column into the distillation column. The remaining liquid is the “lees” and is often used as fertilizer or animal feed.
Step 5: Aging
The final step in the process is aging the liquor. The aging process imparts a darker color and a mature flavor to rum. It also improves the taste, texture, and shelf life of the liquid. The rum is placed in barrels made of oak or other hardwoods. It’s then left to age in a warehouse or a special aging room with controlled temperature and humidity levels. The aging process takes about three to five years for uncolored rums and up to 25 years for darker rums. Uneven temperatures and fluctuations can affect the aging process and cause rums to be aged for longer than usual. The aging process finishes when the desired color and flavor are imparted to the rum.
Variations of Rum
The aging process imparts a darker color and richer flavor to rum. Therefore, each variety of rum has its own distinctive properties and characteristics. Light or White Rum is unaged and clear in color. It has a mild flavor and is mostly used to make cocktails. White rum is made from molasses that’s fermented and distilled to create a clear and colorless liquid. It’s then blended with water and other additives to create a consistent flavor. Dark or Golden Rum is aged in wooden barrels and has a mild but rich flavor. It’s used to make cocktails and is also sipped neat or with ice. Dark rum is made from fermented molasses and distilled and then aged in wooden barrels. Golden rum has a richer and sweeter taste than light rum. It also has a thicker texture and stronger aroma.
Conclusion
Rum is a distilled spirit that’s made from fermented sugar cane juice, molasses, or other sweet natural juices. It’s clear and golden in color, with a subtle sweetness and mellow flavor that’s slightly reminiscent of honey, vanilla, and caramel. The production process for rum is quite complicated because of the many steps involved in making it. These include sugar cane harvesting, mashing, fermenting the sugars, distilling the rum, clarifying and decanting, aging, and finally, mixing different varieties together to make different types of rum. The various types of rum vary in their fermentation and distillation processes, which determine the final flavor, alcohol content, and color. The flavor of a rum depends on where it’s made, what ingredients are used, the fermentation and distillation methods, and how the liquor is aged.