 Rum
There is some debate as to where the first rum was produced...
Different producers claim their island as the birthplace. Some sources cite Hispaniola; others Puerto Rico or Barbados. Regardless of where the first rum was produced, by the latter half of the 17th century, molasses from the West Indies was being shipped to New England, where it was distilled into rum. In fact, the first distillery in what is now the United States was built on Staten Island, and was already producing rum when the English seized the Dutch colony in 1664. Another rum distillery was operating in Boston as early as 1667.
Rum was America’s favorite spirits long before there was such a thing as bourbon whiskey. In 1775, more than 12 million gallons of rum were consumed annually in the 13 colonies, a fairly significant amount for a population that was still under three million at the time.
Production
All distilled spirits are made from water, yeast and sugar in some form. With rum, the sugar is ready-made as the natural content of the sugar cane or its by-product, molasses.
Rum, by federal law, must be distilled from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses, or other sugar cane by-products at less than 190 proof. It can be made anywhere, although more than 80% of it is produced in Puerto Rico. The two main types of rum are light-bodied (generally produced to be dry with a subtle flavor) and full-bodied (a more aromatic variety, and the style of much, but not all, Jamaican rum).
Once the sugar cane is crushed and the juice extracted, it is boiled, resulting in a sweet, thick syrup. The syrup is pumped into high-speed centrifugal machines, which separate the sugar from other solids. The remaining molasses is then fermented and distilled into rum. At this point, the process differs for light and full-bodied rums.
Light-bodied rums are generally produced in column stills, and distilled at 160 proof or higher. By law, the spirit then spends at lease one year in oak barrels. At this point, the rum is clear and normally designated as “white” rum. Another type of light-bodied rum, aged in wood at least three years, and with caramel added for color, is termed “gold” or “amber”. The gold rum is slightly mellower and more aromatic than the white. A third type of light-bodied rum is añejo, the mellowest and most flavorful of the Puerto Rican and other light-bodied rums. Añejos are aged in wood from four to six years, and sometimes longer.
In contrast, full-bodied rums are made using a different process. Skimmings from previous distillations, called “dunder”, are added to the molasses in the fermentation vats. This is followed by a natural fermentation of five to twenty days. The fermented liquid is then distilled in pot stills, and then re-distilled. Again, only the middle rum from the distillation is taken, at between 140 and 160 proof. This process results in a very flavorful, aromatic spirit that, in the case of Jamaican rum, is almost always blended. Before bottling, this full-bodied rum normally requires at least five to seven years of barrel aging. |
