Appleton Estates' array of rum at various stages of the ageing process. - Colin Hamilton/Freelance Photographer

Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

Many associate the pungent smell and taste of rum with pirates in the Caribbean, rum cake or rum mixes. Appleton, one of Jamaica's largest and oldest producers of rum, gave a tiny peek into how they produce their line of rums.

It all begins when after growing for a year, the sugar cane is burnt in the fields to remove leaves and hornets.

The cane is then harvested, by hand or mechanically, within 24 hours of being burnt to preserve the sugar content of the cane.

They are then taken to the factory where it is washed, chopped and the juice extracted.

Sugar crystals are mixed with the juice and boiled under a vacuum until the crystals increase in size. When the mixture is cooled, it is placed in a centrifuge to separate the crystals from the liquid, leaving Grade A sugar and molasses. The molasses is boiled a second time and Grade B sugar and molasses produced.

The sugar is then sold and the molasses is used to make rum.

Fermentation

Fermentation is the next step, where the distiller adds spring water, a special natural culture of yeast to the molasses and within approximately 30 hours the sugar in the molasses is converted to alcohol and the liquid commonly known as the 'wash' is then used in the distillation process.

Distillation is the process by which the alcohol in the 'wash' is separated from the water. Different distillation processes produce different styles of rum. Appleton uses two methods to distil their rum, Copper Pot Distillation and Column or Continuos Still Distillation.

Once it goes through one of these processes the liquid is placed in white American oak barrels which are charred on the inside and left to age.

Evaporation

The permeability of the wood allows air to pass through and some amount of evaporation takes place, this is called 'angel's share'. In tropical climates moreliquid evaporates than in cooler climates - up to six per cent of the total liquid content is lost. Rum aged for one year in Jamaica has the characteristics of rum aged for two or three years in a cooler climate. This is called 'Tropical Ageing'.

The final step is the blending process where each rum in the Appleton Jamaica Rum family is hand-blended from different types and styles of rum to create a unique formula, by the master blender. Once they are blended and quality checks done the rum is placed in a large vat for an extended period to allow the blend to marry.

The master blender and her team then performs nosing (sniffing the rum) and tasting tests to ensure that it meets their criteria. Then the rum is bottled and sold.