2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia - 28

A NATURAL TASTE

The

Richest
of Rums
When "dark" is a
desirable descriptor.
By Annie Tobey

I

f your palate appreciates the
taste of caramelized sugar,
vanilla, honey, dates or figs; if
you like licorice or molasses,
crème brûlée or brown sugar,
butterscotch, toffee or caramel; if
you like dark, complex cocktails or
fruity Tiki drinks-then there is a
dark rum for you.

28 VIRGINIA ABC | ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV

Since rum is distilled from
sugarcane, its popularity is all but
guaranteed. After all, humans are
hard-wired to love sweetness, that
signal for a calorie-dense food that
would've given our ancestors fuel
to ward off predators. It's no
accident we use names of
affection like "Sugar Pie"
and "Honeybunch."
Its sweet roots make
rum a natural spirit
for fruity drinks like a
Piña Colada, Mojito,
Hurricane, Blue Hawaii
and Cuba Libre.
By legal definition, rum
can be made from any
byproduct of sugarcane,
but most are made from
molasses, that thick, rich
syrup that remains after
the sugar is crystalized.
(Rums made from fresh
sugarcane juice, such as
Brazilian cachaça and rhum
agricole from Martinique,
present a greener, fruitier
flavor.) The molasses is
mixed with water and yeast,
allowed to ferment, and
then distilled to tease out
the alcohol.
After distillation, most
rum is aged in barrels,
which mellows the spirit
and contributes flavors and
color. The longer it ages, the
more flavor and color the
wood contributes, hence
the distinctions in white,
light or silver rum; amber or
gold rum; and dark or black rum.
Unlike fine whiskey, rums don't
need a teenager's lifespan to reach
their peak. However, well-aged dark
rums achieve marvelous complex
aromatics and notes.
Understanding other trivia about
rum helps build appreciation for the
spirit:

* Almost all rum is combined
from multiple batches to create the
perfect blend and diluted with water
to bring it to the desired proof.
* Some rums are solera aged,
which combines different ages of
a liquor during the aging process,
including some that contain the
very first distillation, like a valued
gene pool.
* By regulation, distillers
bottle rum at 80 proof or above.
Overproof and Navy-strength rums
are higher.
* Some rums are infused with
herbs, fruits, spices, juices or
extracts, at 60 proof or above. Some
use added sugar and caramel for
coloring.
* Fewer laws and regulations
defining the specifics of rum
production result in a huge diversity
of rums, promising you a supply of
rums as deep as the Caribbean.

THE FINER POINTS
Variations in place of origin
and production and in distilling,
aging and blending produce a wide
range of differences among rums.
Some rums shine brightest in
cocktails, especially at lower price
points. Quality top-shelf rums,
on the other hand, can provide
pleasure on their own in a smooth
complexity of rich flavors.
Distinctions arise from several
factors:
* Like wine grapes, sugarcane
crops vary depending upon the soil
and climate.
* Molasses varies from mild and
sweet to robust and bitter.
* As in beer, yeast plays an
important supporting role. When
the Castro regime nationalized
the Bacardí distillery, the family
fled the country, taking their
proprietary strain of yeast with
them.
* Like whiskey, the barrels used
for aging affect the final product-
http://ABC.VIRGINIA.GOV
2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2018 Q2 Spirited Virginia
