Wednesday 9 May 2012

Spice up your life with spiced rum!

Rum is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages and is made from sugarcane juice or by-products such as molasses. It is made by fermenting and distilling these products to produce a clear liquid which is then usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced all over the world; however majority of it is made in the Caribbean and Latin America. Rum is classified according to grades and location that it is produced.

Most rum is made from molasses – within the Caribbean, molasses are from Brazil. Yeast and water is added to the molasses to start fermentation. Dunder is the traditional yeast used to make rum in Jamaica, whilst faster working yeasts are used to make lighter rums such as Bacardi. There is no standard method used for the distillation process of rum – some producers work using pot stills, whilst others use column still distillation. Most countries require rum to be aged for at least one year and the aging process is commonly performed in bourbon casks, stainless steel tanks or other types of wooden casks. Aging determines the colour of the rum – rum aged in oak casts becomes dark, whereas rum aged in stainless steel tanks remains virtually colourless. After aging, rum is normally blended to ensure a consistent flavour and blending is the final step in the rum making process.

Generally, rum is termed as light rum – also referred to as white rum which has little flavour aside from a general sweetness; gold rum – also called amber rum which are medium bodied rums that are aged and gain their dark colour from aging in wooden barrels; dark rum – known as brown rum, black rum or red rum which is aged longer than gold rum in heavily charred barrels and has a much stronger flavour than light or gold rum; flavoured rum – rum which is infused with fruit flavours such as banana, mango, orange or lime; spiced rum – rum which has spices or caramel added to enhance its flavour. Spiced rums are dark in colour and are made by the addition of spices such as cinnamon, rosemary, aniseed or pepper to the normal fermentation of sugarcane juices or molasses.

Popular spiced rum brands include Admiral Nelson, Bacardi, Blackbeard's, Captain Morgan, Sailor Jerry and Sir Francis Drake. Examples of spiced rum in the market these days are Golden Falernum Spiced Rum Liqueur – The Bitter Truth which is rich and complex in flavour and tastes of fresh lime zest, almonds and ginger enriched with vanilla and clove; Bristol Black Spiced Rum which is a classic dark rum with a lovely mixture of spices; Pink Pigeon Vanilla Spiced Rum which is a light, elegant rum distilled in Mauritius and Papagayo Organic Spiced Rum which is a light golden organic rum distilled from sugar cane and flavoured with vanilla, ginger and a hint of chilli.

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