The Appleton family of fine spirits.
TO APPRECIATE fine aged rum, you need to use three senses - sight, smell and taste.
SIGHT
The first step is to assess the colour and clarity of the rum. To examine the colour of a rum, lift up the glass to the light and look through the rum.
Aged rums have a golden or mahogany hue, which is as a result of lengthy ageing in oak.
Aged rums should also have brilliance; that is, they should be clear and sparkly and you should be able to see through them.
Finally, rums that have been aged for a long period of time will have a greenish tint around the edge of the glass.
You can also evaluate the body of a rum by sight. To do this, lean the glass slightly on its side and then bring it back down.
Light-bodied rums will have thin "legs" that move quickly.
Medium and full-bodied rums will have thick "legs" that move slowly.
The process and the length of ageing will determine whether a rum is light, medium or full-bodied.
SMELL
Smell or noseing is the key to assessing rums and experienced blenders rely more on their nose than on their taste buds when blending.
The notes or aromas that are detected in rums result from the following:
The primary aroma stems from the source of the rum i.e. sugar cane and molasses.
The secondary aroma arises from the fermentation and distillation processes that are used to make the rum.
The true bouquet originates from the ageing of the rum.
Some of the notes that can be detected in rums (divided by origin) are:
Originating for the source
Fruity or bittery
Originating from the process
Floral or estery (whether it is aromatic or not)
Developed during ageing
Woody, nutty, honeyed, spicey, vanilla, cocoa, orange
TASTE
The tongue registers five specific sensations - acid, sweet, salt, bitter and harsh. Specific zones on the tongue detect each of these different sensations.
Some words that are commonly used to describe different types of rum are:
fine
fresh
robust
smooth
sweet
delicate
full-bodied
well-balanced
velvety
silky
luscious
harsh
hard
THE FINISH
Well-made rums are characterised as leaving a lasting impression or memory on the palate after they have been drunk. The sensation lasts for several seconds and is called the finish.
