Professor Kenneth Magnus, Contributor
New pot stills
RUM, AN alcoholic beverage made in various ways from the juice of the sugarcane and its derivatives, such as molasses, have been known for centuries. Rum production is centred in the Caribbean region, but is also produced in other parts of the world, such as Australia, which are suitable for the cultivation of sugarcane. Jamaica, challenged by Barbados in particular, claims to produce the best rum in the world.
THE PROCESS
Once a field of cane is ready to be harvested it is burnt to remove the leaves and hornets. The high water content of the sugar cane prevents it from burning once the right conditions exist, and therefore cane is burnt in the cool evening to prevent the fire from getting too hot as this could damage the cane. Once a field is burnt it must be harvested within 24 hours to prevent deterioration of the sugar content.
The juice of the sugarcane and/or molasses, (a residue after sugar is produced) suitably adjusted for sugar content by the addition of water, is allowed to ferment by the action of yeast (often Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and some bacteria which contribute flavour. Fermentation is the process by which sugar is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide by the action of yeast. The juice is clarified, the acidity of the ferment is controlled and yeast nutrient added. After the fermentation is complete in 30-40 hours or more, the yeast bodies and insoluble substances are removed and the product subjected to distillation. Distillation is the process by which the alcohol is separated from the water.
The product obtained from an old- fashioned pot still or fractions from a more modern fractionating column or blends of the two may be bottled and sold as overproof rum, or they may be stored in special pretreated oak casks and allowed to age. The content of different oak casks are blended on the advice of an expert, diluted, bottled and put on sale. The ageing allows the chemical reactions between the constituents of the distillate to take place as well as the addition of flavour constituents from the oak cask. The knowledge and the senses of taste and smell of the blending expert are therefore crucial to achieve the desired flavour in the final product and the ability of the expert to reproduce this faithfully from one blending to the next is extremely important in maintaining the quality of the particular blend.
