Stateways

StateWays-July/August 2016

StateWays is the only magazine exclusively covering the control state system within the beverage alcohol industry, with annual updates from liquor control commissions and alcohol control boards and yearly fiscal reporting from control jurisdictions

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StateWays | www.stateways.com | July/August 2016 21 TIME Time is the most obvious factor in aging. However, light rums also receive barrel aging (up to three years). Any color from wood contact is fi ltered out to keep the product clear. "Light rum is rum that has been aged for at least 18 months and up to 36 months," says Carlos Esquivel, CEO of Pilsa Rums. It is only after that three-year period that the age years are counted. A year, however, is not a year. Some experts maintain that the tropical climate ages spirits like rum faster than in cooler climes—such as Ameri- can whiskey, and particularly Scotch. "Often you'll fi nd that a rum has the same level of depth and character as a whisky or Scotch that is aged twice or three times as long," says Mauricio Bermudez, director of marketing for Bacardi Rums. Most dark aged premium rums will carry a year age on the label. However, that can refer to the average age of rums in the blend. In Panama, at Pilsa Rums, that refers to the youngest rum in the blend, Esquivel says. Some rums are labeled with the often-ambig- uous term, añejo, Spanish for old, as XO or with other terms used in brandy. Yet other rums are vintage-dated. An example is Mezan Rums' varied expressions: Jamaica 2000, Guyana 2005, Pan- ama 2006 (all now in the U.S. market). "The vintage date is unusual for rum," says Draga Culic, brand director at Niche Import Co. "It's an intriguing proposition to put on the label," and she adds that each country has a different terroir, with distinct fl avor profi les and characteristics. WOOD Maturation in wooden barrels, of course, is what gives dark rums its fl avor profi le. Type of cask varies according to pro- ducer, but many are using ex-Bourbon barrels, which by U.S. law can only be used once for that spirit. Esquivel describes three schools of rum, ac- cording to the barrels used. The French style uses French casks, either new or previously used for Cognac. The Caribbean style uses American oak, new or ex-whiskey, and in some cases, French ex- wine casks. The Cuban style, which is what Don Pancho Origneses is, uses only American oak, ex-Bourbon barrels. Appleton Estate ages its rum in "Number One Select" white American oak barrels, which have been previously used for Bourbon; the barrels are charred inside, which aids the sugar and fl avonoid extraction, and also produces toasted almond notes in the rum, according to Christine Moll, cate- gory marketing director–rum, Campari America. "The cellulose in the wood increases the sweetness of the rum as it ages; the tannins in the wood produce the woody fl avor and the golden color," she says, "and the fl avonoids in the wood produce the vanilla, coffee and cocoa notes. The permeability of the oak allows air to pass through the barrel, which mellows the rum." Cruzan ages rums up to 12 years in ex-Bour- bon barrels. "Since we are part of the Beam Sun- tory family, we're lucky enough to receive all of our barrels from some of the fi nest Bourbon producers in the world," says Kevin Foster, senior brand man- ager for rum. Its Single Barrel expression is a blend of 5- to 12-year-old rums, which are barreled and aged a second time. Brugal's 1888 Rum is aged 6-8 years in Amer- ican whiskey cask, followed by an additional 2-4 years in oloroso Sherry casks. Don Q uses American oak barrels, previously used to age Bourbon fi rst, and then other Ameri- can or Canadian whiskies. The rums are blended to create specifi c fl avor profi les for each label. The exceptions are the Serralles Family Gran Reserva and the soon to be released 2005 Single Barrel, which are made up of barrels of identical rums. CLIMATE Tropical climes have a decided effect on rum mat- uration. In cooler climates like Scotland, evaporation results in a loss of approximately 2% of the liquid content in a barrel each year, Moll notes. In hotter climates, such as Jamaica's, the rate of evaporation is higher – up to 6% of the total liquid content of the barrel – and this results in the rum maturing more quickly. "This is known as 'Tropical Ageing,' and a rum that is aged for one year under tropical conditions in Jamaica would have the same characteristics as a spirit aged for approximately three years in a cooler climate," she says. Foster at Cruzan agrees. "The tropical climate of St. Croix defi nitely plays a big part in the aging of our rum." Open-air warehouses allow the warm breezes of the island to enter year-round, which accelerates the aging process compared to spirits matured in more variable climates. Aging in barrels is a mysterious process that adds sweetness and fl avors of caramel, cocoa, vanilla and spice to spirits, as well as knocking off any rough edges. Unlike other fi ne spirits like Bourbon or te- quila, there is no comprehensive set of regulations governing the production and quality standards of rum, and what few rules there are vary from country to country. This can be confusing for consumers. There needs to be more education from producers on their specifi c practices. And (of course) in-store sampling. Three issues are critical in the maturation of premium aged rums: time, wood and climate. DARK SECRETS

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