Good evening about white rum and Príncipe why it’s a bit of a nonsense Term and we’re going to explore various Different aspects of that so first of All who is this strange bearded Englishman sitting in his study at home I’m Nick I work for the wine inspiration Trust and I’m in charge of all the Spirits qualifications that we run and I’ve kind of my most recent kind of big Piece of work was to do was to create And kind of launch the level 3 award in Spirits which came out last August so We’re still working through we’re still Kind of working through that kind of Rolling that out so that was a really Fun thing to do so that’s kind of the Role I’ve been really working kind of Very deep you spirits now for gosh a Nine or so years as free as our Company’s grown and we other people came In on the wine site so I kind of I don’t Really deal with that anymore so really Spirit sounds it’s a little bit sake is My kind of focus these days so what We’re going to do is this is gonna be Broken into five bits there’s gonna be Kind of an introductory section and We’re going to be looking at four Individual runs and we’re using them as Jump off points to kind of explore style And how certain things come about so at The end of each section would seem like If the sensible place to pause if there
Are any questions so what I would ask That you do is that if you do have any Questions if you can put them into the Chat and my colleague Lydia who will be Following around will be able to kind of Siphon them through to me so that I’m Kind of focusing on the presentation as We go along so we’ve got an introduction And then we’ve got those for us so we Don’t further adieu let’s get going So what am I trying to do the ceiling Well I’m trying to kind of demonstrate One very important kind of point and These two things are combined and it’s The making a nun Age spirit or something That has only been short aged whether That’s in stainless steel or a nervous Or all for a short code in wood is an End point in itself and I think you Don’t it can be it can be kind of an Impression some people can have rightly Or wrongly it’s a bit of a straw man List but that the act of aging is the Thing that Gives quality gives complexity and it’s The unaged the UH kneading is just you Know something on this on the margins on The side now I would argue that that is Just absolutely fundamentally not true You have to do–make the spirit with the Objective of the fact that this isn’t Going to be an a so how you make it Would actually vary slightly Will vary from how you would sort of
Distill a product which you know you’re Going to age but shortage spirits are in And of themselves a very very valid end Point and you can get as because I Hopefully will demonstrate and if some Of you have got runs at home that would Be great but there is an enormous amount Of diversity that you can generate Within this quality complexity and a lot So it really is a delightful thing and I’m a great fan of unloaded spirits I Just find that there are they are to a Degree underrated which i think is a Little bit of a shame now what we are Going to explore also is we’re going to Explore some of the factors that are all Kind of making up making kind of making Try that again We’re going explore some of the factors That account for why these spirits are Tasting the way that they are that they Are quite radically different and there Are ways that we can look at that and Explain that I am going to deal with Some degree of technicality here so I’m Going to assume I’m going to have to Assume some degree of knowledge on part Of everyone here but if you are getting A bit stuck then just working maybe have Sort of deal with that in the QA but we Can explain so much that I’m going to Have to also say that I can’t go the Full kind of like 9 yards into the full Depth of there because we just don’t
Have the time along the way we’re going To call our myths or we’re going to look At things sort of different assertions And say well actually is this valid is This not the first one that could deal With us the fact that white realm in Itself is a very unhelpful way of Classifying these spirits because okay They all have no color but there are so Stylistically diverse that actually it Doesn’t really help you in any way as a Consumer or indeed as a seller and I Really must emphasize that this is a Snapshot so where I’m using four arms These Four runs that I like and I think there Are four runs that demonstrate a number Of interesting facets of this particular Category but for example we’re not going To I’m not going to show a casa I’m not Going to show some of these interesting Kind of combination things that are Happening now depending on which part of The world you’re in it’s called probity So Veritas kind of the combination work That happens between Foursquare and Hampton really really kind of Interesting collaboration there or say Some of the exciting things coming out Of Mexico like apparently there’s or Indeed some of the amazing American Realms so this is just a snapshot and It’s not meant to be encyclopedic so I Just want to put that caveat in before
We get cracking now what I want to do is I want to start off by doing a very kind Of kind of an overview of certain facets Of run production and how I’m going to Talk about spirit production just so That we’re all on a relatively even Playing field there are very different There are different ways in which this Could be done so if you kind of Understand where I’m coming from it’s Going to make it a lot easier when I Kind of go in and talk specifically About each of the individual spirits Themselves so for some of you this this Might be a little bit kind of like cat Sat on that but I think it’s good to Make sure that we’re all at least kind Of have the same set of reference frames So Here we go into part the one so why is It not meeting on here we go so I like To think about spirits production that There are four stages first production You’re going to start off with the raw Material and you’re going to end up with A spirit I mean so far so obvious and What we have to consider next is well we Need to process that raw material to Make it sugary liquid now that’s normal That’s normally what we’re after when We’re looking at Asian spirits that can Be a little bit more complicated but Typically we’re looking for a sugary Liquid now with sugar cane that’s pretty
Straightforward although there are Complications along the way but we need The sugar in Italy because if you don’t Have that then we can’t get on to stage Two the other thing to bear in mind About the raw material is that again Stating stating the obvious to an extent Raw materials give you a very distinct Set of aromas runs are very identifiable Because of the sugar cane that’s used Same way that whiskey is very Identifiable by the grains fruits Various by the fruits that are used so The raw material is a very important Source of identifying aromas and Actually there’s a there is a Some complexity in that which is Presented by how sugarcane is processed Next up is alcoholic fermentation this Just has to happen over this is how the Alcohol is created now clearly ethanol Is being produced in significant Quantities and the bulk of what is in Any alcoholic beverage is ethanol and Water that’s the bulk of it fermentation Also can create aroma and flavor and in Certain situations in run production it Can create bountiful quantities of this Stuff so it is a very important source Of flavor in all manner of beverage Production and certainly the case of Spirits production now once we got an Alcoholic liquid and these are going to Be vary in strength between some like
Five out to ten maybe a little bit Higher not necessary is that strong but Strength will vary We obviously then unsurprisingly need to Go through the distillation process now The thing about distillation is that It’s there I always like to focus on two Words with distillation we can get Caught down in the technicalities until Literally until the cows come out but The two key words are selection and Concentration you take a take a liquid And out of that liquid you want a Certain piece of that liquid that’s what You’re going to select and also in Selecting it you’re discarding other Things and you’re kind of magnifying it You’re concentrating it and that’s Really the dual purpose of distillation It so it’s not it’s not a I’m going to Concentrate everything which kind of Happens if there is a thing called ice Distillation which that happens in ice Distillation but this is hot Distillation so it is a selection and a Concentration and out of this we’re Going to get spirit now some of the ones That we’re looking at today one of them Was to steal to 55.9 others would have Been distilled north of 90 so again a Significant range in that and that will Have a very significant impact on style Last but not least now we’re not really Looking at this significantly today but
Posta still of room post distillation Operations so looking at this in the Broadest spectrum of terms we can adjust The color we can change the color we can Go to the color shop we can I don’t mean No various ways of doing that and we can Add aroma I mean oak isn’t aroma Could be added poach distillation gins And all sorts of other things you can Add many different aromas we can affect The sweetness now any spirit that comes Off the still it’s dry and all the Spirits I’m taste it’s dirt dry I don’t Particularly want to get kind of down The rabbit hole the sweetness from all The spirits I’m trying today are dry so But sweetness is something that would Always be added post distillation and You can adjust the alcoholic strength I Mean this would be going down it would Be by dilution process Most things are bottled at somewhere in The region of 40% ABV but A number of the spirits I’m trying to Try today on but most are and that only Because of dilation you’re adding water To bring me an alcoholic strength down So that’s my kind of frames of reference Now here is a sugar cane field I’m kind Of assisted this is this is a bit of a Cheat and this is – this is owned in Kagoshima Prefecture in Japan missus and The amount Islands so but a very good
Friend of mine went there and he’s Actually quite good photograph so I Could use them quite easily sugar cane Is a is a grass it’s a perennial plant And it has these very long stent long Kind of long tall stems which are kind Of implant terms armor-plated and they Have lots of leaves around them and Within that hard kind of stem is the Store of sugar it’s sucrose mostly and That’s where they store it they don’t Need to because they grow in very hot Climates is ample amounts of Photosynthesis they don’t really need to Store it as a more complex carbohydrate So on the Left they you can see a Close-up of the unharvested cane and Here on the right you can see a cane Field partly that’s been partly Processed and you can see you can’t Quite get completely to center scale but This is actually I mean I would I’m six Foot one and a bit just around about two Meters depending on kind of what kind of System you use this would kind of tower Significantly above me so I mean it’s a Big tall plant so that sugar cane now Then what we need to look at very Quickly now is how we process you again I can’t go into all the details of this But at least the basic operations of how This is going to function we can cover So should the first thing I’m going to Get my sugar cane is that we need to we
Need to get the sweetness out of it and We do that by essentially crushing it And they’re pretty scary bits of Machinery that are going to do this this Is this is a hard plant exterior and it Needs some pretty strong machines to Break it up and and they do and out of This you were going to get sugar cane Juice which is sweet juice literally and You can very simply add yeast Fermentation and off we go And that is a way in which you can make Rum and two other rums that we’re going To have on Talk about today are made that way they Are made from cane juice now the reality Is that most sugar cane is grown for the Purposes of sugar production and so most Of most of this cane juice is going to Go off to some kind of sugar processing Now essentially what and this is cutting A very long story short essentially what You’re doing when you’re processing cane Juice is that you are evaporating off Water and as you evaporate off water the Sugar within it is going to crystallize Out and then that can go off for further Processing and you’re left behind with a Varying degrees of resergy so the first Thing that will come out from this is The thing called cane syrup which is Sometimes called high test molasses Sometimes it’s called cane honey has Variety of different names it is used in
Paris different ways in the Caribbean And this is this is where you’ve just Removed some of the water and it becomes A much more stable product after cane Syrup you then get various different Grades of molasses which are then you’ll Be the molasses is what’s left over this Sugar is what comes out now the sugar That comes out from this is what’s Called bear as different terms boiled Brown sugar brown sugar brie or brown Sugar this is the squidgy soft stuff That when you open it up really smells Like toffee caramel brown it’s kind of It’s delightful and actually it’s the It’s sugar which has got the coating in It which makes it Brown is the thing That’s giving you all those aromas and That’s an in fact molasses kind of on The exterior so when you get to white Sugar it’s gone through a whole heap of Other processing to remove all that out You can of course hilariously get brown Sugar that is white sugar with caramel Coloring added to it to make your Brown Again you know that’s the kind of more Crystalline stuff that just hasn’t that Aroma to it anyway I side I digress so cane juice sorry Cane syrup and molasses can be used Either in tandem or individually to make Rounds now the key thing here is that You will need to add water to that to Get to a kind of a liquid which is
Viable for the yeast Operates in and again you’d be adding The yeast and we baguette making an Alcoholic liquid now if I’m working with Cane juice I’m probably just working With cane juice if I’m working with Molasses I might have some claimed syrup In there there is a combination the Donkey which we’re going to have it’s Done that way some people will also put In some cane syrup so it’s not complete Change cane juice rather it’s not Completely clear-cut but typically if Your majority working with molasses That’s really going to be the driver for You now the thing that bear in mind Particularly here is I mean that’s all Very well and good but these things Taste different as a result so this is Um a stock image of some kind you so you Can see the the cane stems they’re cane Juice has this vegetal grassy herbaceous Green aromas to it that are very Distinct and very recognizable and Decidedly different from stuff that’s Made from either cane syrup or molasses Now this is shop-bought molasses which I Had a kind of a photograph done or bit Soon of probably much more on the end of Blackstrap which is at the very end of That reduction process and you’re much More likely to get this kind of array of Aromas from molasses now I’m not saying You’re absolutely you’re always going to
Get these things but these are just kind Of useful kind of guidance in terms of Like where the flavor profiles will will Be different and shape so cane juice Syrup molasses you are you are just Within the raw material getting two Quite distinct divergences within style And hopefully I can demonstrate that now Next long we have fermentation now this Is a fermentation that’s taking place in Haiti in one of the belly a in one of The clarin this is a quite a Funky fermentation you can see that they Put in bits of the cane plant as well It’s in a wooden vessel so I’ll talk a Bit more about that later but there are Some just a couple of details I can’t go Into the fermentation it is a Wonderfully interesting subject in and Of itself but we just touch on a few key Points here so what’s produced well SNR’s produced we know that and we get a Lot of flavor in particular there is a Group of flavors which your testers now Esters are really exciting flavor flavor Group and they very broadly and Generally have fruity floral flavors to Them so for example if you have isoamyl Acetate which is a an ester i saw an Alcohol with the CTEK acid neither Isoamyl alcohol or acetic acid are Pleasant in any way shape or form acetic Acid vinegar I saw an alcohol is not Pleasant on its own stick them together
You get a lovely banana smell so Although it’s a bit of a sidebar if you Smell Jack Daniels and you get that kind Of banana smell that is isoamyl acetate So they can also vary if you have really High concentrations of these they shift And it’s it’s a very it’s a really Fascinating subject but they are hugely Important in in run production any Particular styles of run production now There is an issue of culture and wild And you will probably find as they go Through this that you know I am going to Say this a lot neither one is better Than the other cultured yeast are Essentially ended Interviews that have been selected Because they have favorable Characteristics now let’s get Intentional in that but it’s that They’re not per se bad in the same way That just because you’re using wild or Ambient yeast ie the yeasts that are all Around us we kind of look around us and You could look around me here we saw It’s there but there’s a huge number of Microorganisms in this space here and All over the place some of what you used So neither a neither special worse they Just can offer slightly different kind Of possibilities but we don’t Necessarily have the time to fully Explore that unfortunately today last But not least we have this issue of
Short and long fermentations which is Something that comes up and the actual Alcohol part of that a fermentation Night what the yeast generating alcohol Will happen relatively quickly so Someone saying I’ve got a two to three Week fermentation the alcohol production Part of that would have probably happens In relatively short order it will vary But a good chunk of that time the yeast Might still be kind of doing a little Bit in the background but they will There’ll be other microorganisms just Joining in at that point and bacteria Are very key and for some of these Realms actually the contribution of These bacteria make to flavor is a very Important part of giving us this kind of Full full-blooded kind of them effect Now last but not least quick bit on Distillation I’ve mentioned this already We know we need to have some selection And concentration everything that comes Off a still this is an run being made in Massachusetts everything that comes off A still is colorless and dry there’s no Sugar in it and the selection is going To be done in various different ways if You’re looking at a batch distillation Process which is mostly done in ponds But it can be done in columns we’re Doing a selection process across time And in continuous distillation which Will be done in columns we’re looking at
A selection that’s done over space Typically at this point I make some kind Of reference to Timelords but apparently Not everyone knows what Gallifrey is hey Hey Oh someone does hooray someone smiling No okay anyway so these are the runs That I’m looking at We’ve got donkey crystal rum bar over Proof Clem ol gambler and clarinets as You and we’re gonna look at them one at A time and we’re gonna explore why They’re different and these are all Radically different runs and yet they Would all sit on a shelf potentially as White rum so they’re all very very Different beasts so as I say I mean I Think it’s it’s an honor it’s a fairly Unconscious statement that the use of Whites and color references in Brown Classification is unhelpful but I’m not Necessary going to suggest that there’s A there’s an answer I’m not I’m not here To do that but I’m here to kind of Explore some of that diversity so let’s Jump in here we go So first up we’re going to look at the Donkey crystal now this is from Puerto Rico and I’ve just got one of my little Maps here I’ve only labeled the country To be looking at so Puerto Rico Martinique Haiti and Jamaica so this is Puerto Rico which is a little icy as the US territory and it
– – very enormous distilleries one is Sir Alice which is the one we’ve been Looking at and the other one is is Bacardi so they do produce significant Volumes of rum now what do we have with The donk units of interest so first up So why are they making it from well They’re making it from combinations and They’re making it from blackstrap and This is then mixed with cane syrup which They will typically refer to as High-test molasses that’s used to give Them more fermentable sugar and it’s Going to give you this kind of baseline Of these toffee caramel kind of flavors In there so that’s that’s what they’re Working with now they’re going to work With their own proprietary yeast strain So this is something that would have Been selected for them and it’s been Select so when you’re selecting a yeast You’re kind of thinking what’s my aim For the selection now what they’re Looking for here is quite a light style Of rum something quite delicate Something not really kind of assertive Or forceful so that they’re selecting The selecting the yeast so that’s going To support that ambition that they have So that’s their that’s their own yeast Strain and they’re doing it it’s a Quality quick fermentation and it’s Happening in stainless steel vessel so Stainless steel vessels are very easy to
Clean and this means that you’re not Really getting any kind of interference Hopefully from any kind of ambient Bacterial yeast you want to get Something that’s very clean and precise From the yeast that you’ve selected That’s their intention and they do that Very well now then when it comes to the Stills that they have it’s our allies They have to still setups they have Their five column multi still set up Which they use to make light marks and They have a single column vendôme steel Knife and owns a steel manufacturer Based in Kentucky that supplies the Whiskey industry in Kentucky and Tennessee but they also supply elsewhere And they use this to make what they Would describe as heavy marks now a Light mark will be distilled to a much Higher strength and in this case it’s Kind of into the low 90s and the heavy Marks would be distilled at a slightly Lower strength I’m not exactly sure what numbers we’re Looking at there and they will produce And they do know they will they do Produce a number of different Distillates in that would sort of sit in The light side of things and in the Heavy side of things so they’re making a Lot of different spirits now the other Thing that’s illegal is a legal Requirement in Puerto Rico that uoq has
To be aged for a minimum of one year in Sorry it has to be aged rum has to be Aged for a minimum of one year in oak Barrels and the crystals made from stuff That a blend of of marks that’s been Aged for one and a half of one and a Half to five years and then there’s the Blending together and then there’s Charcoal filtration that will remove any Residual color now I don’t particularly Want to get into the whys and wherefores Of why people do that it’s a choice that People make it’s quite common but what I Will talk about is that there are Multiple reasons for using oak there are Some very obvious reasons it will give You color it will give you flavor there Are other reasons for using it which is Concerns kind of oxidation and textural Change and within this broader tradition That you’re looking at here which is say Examples you’d find in Puerto Rico is You might find in Cuba as well and the Use of wood is in many ways focused Around textural aspects rather than Significant aromatic impact Now I thought what I would talk about Just quickly is about Colin stills Because people could be very rude about Colin’s deals and I think that’s just Unfortunate so this is the five column Set up but Serrano’s now they have been Quite an tight lipped about exactly how This is set up and that’s absolutely
Fine these aren’t very expensive bits of Equipment which they would have ordered Specifically for their own needs so I Absolutely respect the fact that there’s A lot of confidentiality in certain Aspects but what I want to be quite Clear about is even with something that Looks like this and it go it looks a bit Like an oil refinery I guess it does you Know it’s exactly the same basic process That’s going on in this as it was in an Oil refinery it’s distillation but you Can still make An astonishing variety of high-quality Spirits using this kind of equipment and It’s it’s entirely wrong to blame the Tool when you’re getting old it’s in a Column still it’s in a multi-column Still it’s distilled to a high strength Therefore well therefore nothing it all Very much depends on how good you are Running those stills and just because Something is lighter in style and has a Slightly purer a cleaner kind of feel to It Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s it’s worse Or less good than something that’s much More robust and powerfully favored so I Don’t know what sir Alice has in these Stills they haven’t been shared and That’s fine but what I do know is kind Of this is a kind of a common Arrangement that you would have in a Five column setup so I would like to
Reiterate that don’t know what but this Is a fairly common arrangement of five Stills they may have some of this stuff They may not but the chances are if You’ve got five columns still looking Like that you’re not just looking at Rectification in a very simple sense now Here we have two columns and a stripping Column in the rectifying column now the Alcohol is going to come in through the Third column number one steam is Injected at the bottom fairly commonly This is a very hot still and essentially All we’re doing here is removing Anything that’s volatile anything that Could potentially be carried over in Distillation and what comes out at the Bottom is the stuff that is just not Volatile water and other stuff that in Bourbon production is what is Essentially back so so if we follow the Green Line the vapors will come from the First and into the second still and it’s In the second still that they will then Get separated out across space so the Most volatile parts which will be the Heads go up to the top the the less Volatile stuff is the tails comes out Near the bottom and then you’ve got a High strength spirit which is what these Things would typically produce comes out Kind of just a bit below the top that’s A fairly standard arrangement and this Dorans line here is a recycle of liquid
From the bottom of the still number two Into the top is still another one Now that is that can make you I mean if You got enough plates on it you can make A neutral spirit using just that but There are other kind of distillation Techniques that can be used now the Hydra selection is one of those things It is very counter intuitive so I will Very quickly say what it does you put The high strength this will have to be Sorry this will have to be followed by a Rectifying steel and as potentially Demagnetizer so let’s just have a look At hydrate selection I will just the Engineering of this is painfully Complicated so I will just say what it Does you put the high strength spirit in You put hot water on the top steam in at The bottom and for reasons of the joys Of chemistry the very sort of very Unpalatable the tales II stuff comes Down the top I’m not going to explain Why it’s just I’d be here for a very Long time but trust me this is what Happens and you get a very dilute spirit That comes out at the bottom of this now This is sometimes using vodka production It’s also used you will find one of These stills in Middleton which is where James Sandy’s mate all of those whiskeys So this is a technique that is kind of Used to kind of make something that’s Very kind of clean and pure whose are
You just removing all of the heavier Stuff because it’s low strength it needs To be rectified it needs to be taken up To a high strength so that number four Is very much exempts the same as number Two and number five is Addie mice eliza Column which is a way of removing Ethanol out of a spirit this is that Heated using a reboiler which is Essentially a heat exchanger because you Need the spirit to be for this to work You need a spirit to be very high Strength so the methanol will come out The top and you’ll get your very final Spirit coming out here of a high Strength now okay so that looks like They’re going from one to five but the Reality is that they could just use the First two columns they could take very Stiff they could take the spirit of Various different plates in column Number two so you could have stuff That’s more rectified or statins less Rectified Take it off after four rather than going Through five you could completely skip Three and four and go to five so these Are incredibly sophisticated pieces of Machinery which allow you to produce a Lot of different things very precisely And yes you can make From God willful spirit in these but you Can make some god-awful spirit in Anything so you know don’t blame the
Tool laying the person that’s using it If you think it’s bad so what do we have With don crystal now his hit his mine Here we go Lovely so I’m gonna just I’m gonna enjoy This now because I’ve been talking for a While now the thing that I particularly Admire about donkey is that it’s just It’s a very very it’s a light style of Rum but it’s a light style of rum that Has a very kind of clean and precise set Of aromas so you can smell in that yes It has that slight smell of alcohol on It but you can also very clearly smell That molasses bass you’ve got this very Lovely light kind of apple floral set of Aromas for fermentation nothing big Nothing punchy and I don’t pick up Anything discernibly on oak aromatics in This but when you certainly when you try It and I’m going to take the liberty now Um it has this nice kind of creaming Round feel to it and part of that would Have been contributed from this kind of Period of maturation it gives you this Kind of sweet soft feel to it it’s not Big it’s not powerful I think it’s Incredibly elegant and I think it’s Actually a delightful drink most of the Spirit in this is made from the light so These is made from light marks most of The spirit and this would have been Distilled north of 90 but Barry minors Have there’s a big gulf between to me
That’s 90 and something that’s 95 96 it Doesn’t look like a lot you know it’s Only 5 degrees more but in terms of Aromatic profile its it’s a big jump and So you end up with a just I think a very Delightful elegance Clean carrot it’s got that little bit of Character I think it’s I think it’s a Great rum and is it the best rum I’ve Ever had probably not but This this happens quite often in Beverage consumption where there’s Something big and powerful and always Kind of grabs the headlines and grabs Attention there’s a there’s a lot to be Said about things that are quite subtle And quiet and actually there’s great Quality that can be achieved within a Frame of reference so big can be great But big can also be awful and let’s be Honest there’s a very fine line between Being have subtle and precise and being Bland and I think this room I personally Think is on very much the right side of That line not at all Now then Lydia are the only kind of Questions floating around yes just one And which I think was answered yeah but For the benefit there according and just While you’re on the dung is the use of Cane syrup a stylistic choice or a Requirement because of less fermentable Sugar in modern molasses oh that’s a Very good question I don’t know in
Exactly they certainly my understanding Is that they certainly are using it in Order to boost the fermentable sugar Levels in there so it could be a Combination of a practical choice on That part or a stylistic choice as well Because you will get slightly different Flavors from high-test cane syrup than You would from blackstrap I suspect it’s A bit of both but I don’t know for Absolute certain sure there is Absolutely I mean this is a this is that This is a true this is a true point Which I think is worth just flagging That the sugar industry is getting very Very very good at extracting sugar from Molasses so all from counts that cane Cane juice which therefore means that You are getting less and less and less And less sugar in the molasses that You’re buying now that is potentially Going to cause some issues down the Track but we shall see but but yeah and That there is there is a kind of a Falling sugar level in bulk molasses and Most distillers in the Caribbean are Buying from the buying from the International market and some are using Local product but not huge numbers and The way the sugar industry has shaken Down there’s no there isn’t anything Like the production in the Caribbean That there once was right hopefully That’s answered that um hopefully Lydia
Was saying would you say there was Another one was that no that’s Everything for now that’s everything Okay right now then what am I going to Talk about next I’m I can remember yes I can we’re going To Jamaica next so and we are going to Talk about so here it is it’s some Listen this island here so we’re going To talk about rum bar white overproof Now I don’t want to get dragged into the Whole what is over proof debate but Suffice to say that this is referring to A proof system that is entirely Different from the American proof system So the American proof system for those Of you who don’t know is 2 times ABV so If something is 40% ABV it’s 80 degrees Proof in the u.s. system so this is Referring to improved systems that we Set up and used by the British for some Considerable period of time which is Called the psych system and the psych System set proof at fifty seven point One four percent ABV so essentially this Isn’t it was used in the UK until 1980 Believe it or not when we moved over to To ABB so you know so we look forward to In post breaks it well we might go back To it but the over proof is a reference The fact that it’s over that number and Under pre could be under that number Because proof was fifty seven point one For now there is complexity in this so
But it’s essentially this isn’t Something this isn’t a labeling term as Legally controlled but if you’re seeing Older proof you are expecting to see Something that has a very good brace of Alcohol in it so worthy pot worthy Park Is to produce Of this and well the park has kind of Has a long tradition of run production But only really came back into the RAM Industry relatively recently I don’t Want to put I really should have the Number let the number of somewhere but I Don’t but it’s it’s it’s relatively Recently they’ve come back into Production and the owners felt that what I’ve got we have this we have this cane You have this cane estate which is Growing very good cane and we can see There are some challenges in terms of Like selling cane and selling sugar Products so they thought they’d Diversify into run production and thank God they did so worthy park is made from Its own this is quite a unique thing It’s made from the estate ground cane And they have their own sugar producing Factory there so it’s all in-house Generated that is very rare and it sugar They sell I think with in Jamaica I Don’t know if it gets beyond Jamaica now What’s going in here are through me I Was talking to zan who’s the export Director for this last night there are
Three marks that they go into this now Worthy park only has one skill where They have which I’ll talk about in a Second but they had to light marks in This again to a slightly higher strength Less aromatic profile which are made With cultured yeast and are actually Very delightful I’ve I’ve had the Opportunity to try these individual Marks and they are all very delightful The the thing that’s really giving this Kick is their the heavy mark that goes Into here and it’s quite common for Marks particularly in Jamaican I think Elsewhere as well that they give them Names and these names are quite often Letter abbreviations and this is called Wpe now the key thing here is that this Is a long fermentation so it’s two three Week fermentation so there is a lot of Bacterial activity that this isn’t just Yeast that are contributing at this Point and they are using ambient wild Yeast and they have this tank which kind Of contains molasses it can taste cane Juice and cane stalks and all sorts of Things and it’s within that that they Are kind of generating their yeast Population and a whole lot of other Microbial populations as well and then This is used this is pitched into the In suit the fermentation to come and get The fermentation going now This generates an absolutely enormous
Amount of Esther Esther character now This is the way they do it there are Other ways that this can be done and I Don’t we don’t have the time to kind of Talk about the yeast dynamics which mean That this is what the yeast will do in These scenarios but this generates a Huge amount of aroma and these are Punchy characteristics now as I said They have a one single still it’s a big Still it’s a cotton with a double return Now people quite often think I mean this Is quite a unique feature of Caribbean Distilling I haven’t seen elsewhere you Do get more thumper is essentially a Retort if you know American just doing But I haven’t seen this used anywhere Else really and I was not gonna say About that people sometimes think it’s This system that actually makes this Makes these really character or spirits Know it can do but like any pot it just Depends on how you operate it if you Operate it in a certain way and make Very kind of like tight cuts or wide Cuts and I can’t really explain what Those are unfortunately we don’t have The time but it’s not the machine itself That does it is how you’re running it But also importantly what you’re putting Into it so when we’re looking at these Powerful Jamaican rums and there are a Number of distilleries that make these Theirs and run fire from worthy not were
Their own fire from Camden Rey and Nephew overproof which is from the kind Of broader Brian there if you stay so This is a this is a thing in Jamaican Production and it’s what’s going in in The first place These are fermentation driven products And the stills are used are just there To kind of concentrate and select and This is a completely on edge product so I thought it might be interesting just To quickly show you what this rum and Double retort looks like this is a very Common system that you will see in in The Caribbean not just Jamaica so you Have a pot here the necklace you can see There’s a pipe that goes from the pot Down into this second vessel which is The low rinds of at all Then same again into what we call the High wines of thought and then we have The shell and tube condenser and we have Here optional extra reflux that could Happen I mean there are various Different ways in which this could be Achieved now if we look at how this Operates it’s just a very clever and Efficient system I just need one Distillation to make a spirit so I’m Going to put in these are all Approximate numbers and I must search These are approximate numbers and just Give them as a goings so we put in the Alcoholic wash here and we look at
What’s happened at the last distillation So I’m going to get heads hearts and the Tails are split into two parts high Winds and low wines so the heart goes Off that’s what we’re going to use the Low wines and the heads are recycled Into the low wines at all which is then Filled up and it’s about thirty five Percent ABV give or take and he did say Proximate numbers high wines goes into The high winds at all it gets higher and Then we’re all set up ready to go high Heat here Now I’m going to get a vapor coming off Here which is more alcoholic so up it go Is rounds in here the vapor going into Here heats up this causes another Distillation so I’m gonna get an even Stronger body for going through here Into the third into the third vessel Here and so more vapor is gonna come off And then I can just come out straight With head start high wines and no one’s I can come straight out with the spirit So it kind of does a triple distillation Of sorts and it’s just a very efficient Way of just like going from the start to The end without having to then reload Stills which is what you’d have to do in A double pot so distillation very widely Used but just remember this is a tool I Can make really gutsy spirits with this I can make really cure spirits with this It just depends on how I run it on Molly
Put into it now although worthy Park Don’t use this dündar is what comes out Of the pot Lee is sometimes what’s Referred to as what comes out of the Retorts now some producers will use These in order to boost the asta Character of their products but a lot of People won’t so I’m worthy Park don’t Use there And all their knees so but other people Do and that’s a whole other discussion So so here we have worthy Park overproof This isn’t a run for the faint-hearted I Mean it’s it’s strong so it’s not going To be everyone’s cup of tea And but what I think is incredibly good About this why I like this particularly Is that you get this you get the layers Of all of the flavors that you kind of Would expect that it’s made mostly from Molasses you get this really kind of Powerful toffee caramel kind of baseline To that and then over the top of it you Get all of these super overripe Sometimes it’s described just funky ho Go and there’s a variety of different Ways which is described you kind of have To smell that incredibly powerful Episodic set of fruity aromas that is Very characteristic of what we described As hi Esther now This isn’t as high as high as highest it Can be but it’s a very very good Representation of this sample and
Dramatically different from the donkey And the thing that I find very Admiral About this is bottled at 63 but it holds Its alcohol even and I’m going to sit This that kind of as it comes off the Bowl but it holds its alcohol incredibly World there’s a real biscuits all Yee Quality to this and the intensity means But all together this sits as a very Balanced product it doesn’t feel hot Hard unbalanced or anything now if you Try that without delusion clearly it’s Warm without doubt but it is incredibly Well integrated and if you’re having it Undiluted once you kind of ride over That initial hit of the warmth you have This kind of layer of complexity that Kind of carries and runs and it’s it can Be it can be a mistake when making these That you end up with something that’s Just hot hard and just like Girl And doesn’t have the layers of Complexity this offers there this isn’t The only one that does this but I think Had a soft spot for this one I’ve always enjoyed it and I think it’s A terrifically good run I really do Now then Lydia any questions before we Go on to Agricole nope none at the Moment none well Wow okay Right so let’s crack on them so now We’re going into going to Martinique now Most leagues are there it is on the map It’s an interesting it’s um it’s France
We’re actually looking at something that Is bona fides part of France and it’s Subject to French law it’s subjects that European law the same is true for so two Islands up you have here Grundy and That’s also France as well so there are Some important things we need to Consider about rumack the thing which is Their most known for which to run egg Record and the Martinique laws now Having put the swords to column stores Are all rubbish I’m now going to put the Sword – there are no rules in rum which In itself is another nonsense we’ve Looked at Puerto Rico there are laws of Local laws specifically wrong saying What you can and can’t do you look at You make it as a gr and Jamaica Martinique is subject to some quite Particular laws EU and French so the First one is the more generic one which Is run Agricole so under European law ROM Agricole has to be made from cane Juice sugar cane juice and it has to be Made in one of the French overseas did Optimal or the island of Madeira which Is obviously pork Portuguese there are Some great runs from Madeira if you come Across them but these are the five French overseas department so in the Caribbean you’ve got Martinique and Guadeloupe French Guiana which is in South South America’s north coast of South America may Alton reunion are in
The Indian Ocean now you do sometimes See runs from reunion I haven’t Personally seen runs from French Guiana Nor my art that doesn’t mean that they Don’t exist so but what we’re Particularly interested in here is Martinique now This is something it’s not a Controversial statement it’s like what Is an Agricole European definition I’ve Just laid out in very very broad terms What an anchor quorum is but you European legislation only goes far as Europe goes and as far as any kind of Reciprocal legal arrangements that it Has with other jurisdictions so where Those don’t exist Agricole is not to Protect its terms so you will find a Number of runs that are made in in North America which label themselves as Agricole which don’t make themselves From cane juice or don’t really have What would be the characteristics that People would associate with Agricole That does not chew on that as I really Want to say I have fairly kind of firm Opinions on that but I think it’s just Just be kind of aware that any legal Protection is only good as far as it Goes now that’s true for anything and Everything so but that’s a again I don’t Want to get dragged down that particular Rabbit hole but just be aware of that Now then
So that’s run Agricole martinique AOC Now this is an AOC that stands for Appalachia on dr. Jean Quan kalle which Is exactly the same as what what these French wines made or French cheeses French chickens all the rest of it also Cognac and Armagnac are made that way Too so very very strict and very Comprehensive regulations so we have it Has to be made from Martinique I know These are abbreviations so this really Trust me is not all of it they have to Be distilled in column stills these are Single continuous column stills and the Parameters of the Spirit these are Legally defined it has to be cut at this Spirit has to come off between either 65 Or 75 percent ABV so this is going to be Quite a character for spirit as it comes Off Now Broad terms you have what’s called run Blanc which is rested for at least six Weeks now that’s what typically be done In in a vessel stainless steel or the Like and these are dry these are Essentially on aged and then you have Rung here which has been aged in oak Barrels for a minimum of three years now There are whole load of other so those Of you may be familiar with cognac Innominate you know you have VSDs apx so There are a number of very similar Designations which exists for Martinique
As well some of them are the same some Of them are different which you know Vive la différence as they might say so These are broadly speaking the rules of Rum Agricole as it has exists in the AOC From Martinique so what we’re going to Get is a pretty characterful cane driven Spirit now some of these are much more About the cane itself have quite a Restrained fermentation character some Have a much more obvious diamond taste Character so what we’re going to be Looking at here particularly is the Clairemont can blur now this is Relatively interesting in that it’s from A single variety of cane so that’s Unusual but not unheard of mostly these Things are blends of various different Varieties of cane it was chosen Specifically by them because they like Zero and really fell to have a distinct Kind of aromatic lift to it it grows Near the distillery which and well near The rows kind of been produces good came Near the distillery which when you’re Dealing with with cane juice is Important because you need to get the Cut cane to the press kind of as quickly As possible so it doesn’t kind of go off And they harvest it this is that this is Important point in terms of what they do After distillation they thought they are Harvesting early in the season now This is where they distilled two sets
Within that range but it’s kind of into The low 70s and they rest it for six to Eight months now this is way beyond what They’re legally required to do and this Needs to be considered as a period of to A degree maturation this is actively Being done so that you’re going to Change some of the aromatic contextual Elements so we don’t commonly think of Maturation as something that can happen In maybe we do I don’t know quite an Assumption that but Can happen any nerve vessels it’s just Different from what happens within a Wooden vessel so you’re not getting Anything directly from the vessel itself You’re not getting you don’t kind of Like drink a can of coke and go oh that Was a particularly lovely taste of Aluminium you don’t get flavor from the Vessel itself we don’t get color but Things can change in that if the Chemistry doesn’t just stop so you can Get an evolution of the aromatics and You can get a softening off later so That is kind of part of what they did That’s much longer than what you would Normally get from most run block now Where am i number three so this is as I Say it’s it’s cane cane juice and what I What I quite like about Klimov is that You get a very very recognizable kind of Characteristic and very pure cane juice Characters that kind of runs very kind
Of directly through it so which is kind Of unmistakeably changes now as I said You you will get others that have much More fermentation character that’s kind Of like the stuff that we smell on Overproof rooms where the worthy park Where you get a lot more of that Fermentation aroma sitting in there but This doesn’t really show that it just Has this kind of very clean and pure Kind of cane character which I quite Like And texturally it’s quite different from The first two runs that I was talking About today they there’s a softness to The donkey you there’s a big kind of Richness to the rum bar this is much More kind of linear and focused and kind Of tight which might sound a little odd But if you can have them side-by-side Hopefully that can just uh make some Degree of sense I do find that Particularly The Claremore you get this crunching Dryness in this very kind of tights Linear sort of it’s not expansive and Kind of come on lustrous what kind of Luscious on the knot lashes on kind of Words fail me for once but it has this Kind of linearity which i think is Really lovely and it just carries this Kind of cane flavor all the way through The finish really precisely focused on That so that’s what that’s doing and
Again it’s it’s an expression of Agricole and it’s doing it I think in a Really interesting I think is really Interesting I do like it a lot but again Massively different from the ones we’ve Had before what’s driving that a Restrained fermentation this cane juice Character and a quite a low distillation Strength which giving us a heat of Character so that’s the can blur now We’ve got one more to do so we probably Gonna arrive or a bit but hey it’s rum And it’s tasty so any questions quickly Near before I just am just a bit of a Just my statement someone saying and They heard about Belize Agri column in Inverted commas rum would they not be Able to sell that into the EU if they Salt so if you sold that into the EU and Had Agricole on the label it would be Depending on how kind of urgently the Authorities pursued it that would be an Illegal label courageous and another Quick one it said how would you describe The meaning of a spirit being linear It’s a tricky one um I can when I’m Teaching this I’m not a kind of like Staring someone on the eyes I’m kind of Going this is what I mean so if you Heard the rum bar it has got a real fat Richness on the sort of feel and it’s From a mouth filling and although it’s Technically it’s dry it has no added Sugar it’s kind of big rich field in the
Mouth where is the the Agricole it feels Really dry and it doesn’t quite have This same kind of mouth coating fee and It’s a it’s That’s kind of what I’m kind of driving At it’s very very difficult unless we Kind of like we’re kind of with each Other and I know that we’re tasting Exactly the same thing so I can kind of Point you to exactly what I mean But it doesn’t quite have the general This kind of like coating feeling in the Mouth would be something that I would See is more linear but I appreciate that These are not easy words to kind of Trans that yeah they’re tricky words to Use absolutely understand that it’s not Immediately obvious what I might mean by That hopefully that has helped to some Degree I now apologize for my puppy barking Right anymore for anymore no that’s it Great thank you no that was it okay Great so we’re going to move on to hasty It’s a Got his independence from it some from From France actually very very early on It was in the early 19th century it Became an independent country and Haiti Has many many many unusual things about It and not least that there are still Hundreds of distilleries there and that Is in itself very very rare most Caribbean islands and Caribbean
Countries the industries have become Very consolidated so they will have even Martinique which has more than most kind Of barely gets to double figures so but Haiti is very different and these are Very small distilleries which are Operating and serving will your local a Local market so the reason that we have These is down to a gentleman called Luca Gauguin know who runs belly which is an Incredible kind of company that curates Some pretty amazing spirit but he’s Worked in collaboration with a number of These producers to bottle their spirits So they get full credit they get kind of Full kind of recognition but it’s kind Of he’s taking responsibility who the Bottling into the distribution but these Are spirits that just aren’t that are Just there for the local market and They’re just frankly if this is what you Get your local rum distillery then happy Days frankly so these are made from Sugarcane The varieties for the one we’re going to Try which is Clancy’s U is crystalline It’s not a hugely known fermentation Five to seven days but they are again Using wild yeast and there will be a lot Of ambien microflora Kind of playing in that space now it is Batch distilled but it’s batch to still Kind of using a column in combination With a pot which I’ll talk about very
Briefly and this come at this this is Coming off at 55.9% because they don’t Do anything to proof it down this has Got no added water this is compasses Bottle that still strength and it’s Completely on edge so this is this is The still so thanks to Kate Perry and And belly for sharing these photographs This is the sort of still arrangement That they have these are pretty rustic Affairs but you know very very effective Interestingly this is directly heated Which in itself is not that common Now although obviously cognac is this is The pot here so I’ll just bring that up This is the obviously the same part here This is I’m reliably informed by my dear Friend Maggie cam but this good a puker Ultra explain its function in a second And this is the column up here so that’s The column that goes up there and this Wouldn’t contraction over here is what Would be called a shofar which is a kind Of a preheating device now here’s a Diagram I did earlier so in very very Simple terms what will happen in this Arrangement is as follows that’s the pot Which was kind of being encased in Concrete as you saw a vapor will come Out whoops-a-daisy vapor will come out Of that into the puker and then ideally It then goes into the column now if There’s any overflow or what sometimes Some people might call entrainment that
Comes over from the pot over into here Then it kind of gets collected in here And recycled back into the pot that’s a Function really of this as an i7 it then Goes through the column vapors rise Liquid Falls just to my hardcore it’s Work because this is being run as a Batch system they will collect a new Spirit and they will make heads and Tails cut so this is a column that’s Being run as a batch is not being run Continuously and then any kind of liquid It gathers the basis column and get So I go back into the pot it’s a it’s It’s a it’s a remarkably common setup in A lot of very fancy modern new stills if You look at they’re kind of going to Those just this through that has a very Expensive German steel from either Karl Or Holstein or some of the coyote or Some of the other producers a lot of Them are they may not have this puker Thing in the middle but pop with a Column attached and just to one side is Actually quite a modern set up in what Would be called a hybrid still so I Haven’t included how the shot found Works now typically shafa which Literally means Hoffa’s heat so van why It’s kind of comes from a cognac Terminology you’d be using it as part of The what the next batch of or fermented Liquid you’ve been using partly as a Condensing medium so as the as the vapor
Is condensing it’s then heating up the Liquid that goes into the pot the next Time I haven’t included that on here Just for kind of sake of tronic clarity At least so what we have with the Clara Is Annie I mean and this is this is this Is the only one that I actually have as A bottle so they have a lot of Information on the front so if this is The village you made and also gives you The name of the story that cello and It’s what else we say so it also tells You who’s made it which is Michael says You so will Michelle rather and then That’s obviously the name up here as Well and this is from well Jason and it Gives you kind of all gives you it gives You that information this is a wonderful Example of a bottling company a kind of A non producing company being fully and Completely and brilliantly transparent About what it is that they’re doing so Now this is recognizably cane juice it Has this numb of a bassist vegetal Character but it just has this explosion Of fermentation kind of stuff going on And as always preparing my kind of Presentation earlier on today I was just Kind of run out words so I just can I Said it’s just a stunning spirit It’s quite challenging in some of its Aromas but no more or less than many Other things that people admire so it’s It just has such a depth of complexity
And such a kind of length on it it just Really is it really is a quite an Astonishingly good thing it has quite a Lot of punch to it and you will also Find when you try these quite often you Get kind of slightly agora and euler Character to it which is a reflection of Creeping into the heads and tails more Than maybe other people might now that’s Not a bad thing it’s just a choice There’s no absolute definition to what Is and isn’t a head or a tail but it Gives this kind of other textural Element to this this has this kind of Lovely oily kind of fat richness an Incredibly well integrated heat and Warmth and it’s just a finish that just Travels and travels and travels um It’s big it’s big kind of like the run Bar is big but it’s it has some Recognizable characteristics from these Kind of powerful fermentations but it is It’s very different as well so it’s I Just love these things that they and the The general Kashmir just falls under is Is Claira which is these unaged locally Sourced rounds now belly eight bottles These and distributes them but mostly These are just kind of bought from sort Of plastic totes in local villages so These are very much kind of for the Community spirits and I think that’s a That’s a great thing and I think they’re Being very lucky to partner with someone
Who can really respect that integrity of What it is that they’re about so I Appreciate a rival refraction but there Is the end of me so that’s the end of Them what I’ve got to say to a degree oh Thank you very much Connors so Does anyone have any questions about the Clara or kind of more generally I am Very happy to answer those questions Young Lydia I have questions so don’t Receive any other questions Wow where The stunned or bored everyone it’s Silence yes just to say thank you very Much for your time Nick and thank you to Everyone for coming and yes and enjoy Your Welland rooms thank you very much Indeed And thank you all for coming I hope it Has at least kind of shown some of the Multiplicity of facets that is uncolored Rum or uncolored cane spirit and yep Absolutely light and I hope you can Enjoy some good runs as evening so thank You all very much indeed