TASTING PARADISE - How Caribbean Rum Is Made

[Music] foreign [Music] is the spirit of the people the essence of the land and the soul of the Caribbean these poetic words by award-winning author and rum Enthusiast Ian Williams perfectly captured the magic and Allure of this beloved drink for centuries rum has been a symbol of the Caribbean's Rich history and culture celebrated for its complexity and versatility in this 3D animation we'll take you on a journey through the fascinating world of rum production exploring the traditional methods and modern techniques that go into creating this iconic spirit from the sun-drenched sugarcane fields to the distilleries where the rum is aged and Blended we will uncover the secrets and nuances that give rum its distinctive character and unique flavor profiles so join us on this immersive Adventure through the heart of the Caribbean sugar cane or genus sakarum officinarium is the source of rum production the plant requires between 10 months and two years to mature to the point where its sugars can be harvested and extracted depending on the region sugar cane can be harvested once or twice a year field may be burned to remove leaves and pests to prepare for harvesting the cane is left standing and is only singed due to its high water content it must be harvested quickly and milled within 24 hours to prevent sugar deterioration and bacterial infection traditionally sugar cane is harvested with machetes with Harvest workers cutting the sugar cane close to the ground as the sugar concentration is highest in this part of the plant the leafy tops are then removed today sugar cane Harvesters are increasingly being used for mechanized harvesting these all work on a similar principle The Toppers two counter-rotating knives in the shape of a star Cut Off The Leaf tips as these are not needed now the sugar cane is set up by augers located at the front then drawn in and chopped a conveyor belt transports the crop onto a truck trailer while dry plant residues are separated from the crop by a blower the amount of sugarcane a harvester can cut far exceeds the amount that Cutters can harvest in a day while a good worker can manage up to three tons a day a harvester can Harvest up to 146 tons of sugar cane in just three and a half hours sugar cane contains about 75 percent water 10 to 16 percent sugar and 10 to 16 percent fiber rum can be made from the various stages of sugar production from sugar cane the harvested sugar cane is washed crushed and ground or pressed out in sugarcane presses with counter rotating rollers to produce sugar this produces raw juice the sugar cane juice can be fermented and then distilled this rum is usually produced on French islands such as Martinique under the name room agricole while rum made directly from sugarcane juice is rare elsewhere the sugar cane juice is now evaporated into a syrupy liquid in several successive evaporation stations this produces a thick golden brown juice also called sugarcane honey or sugar cane syrup it can be used to make rum but is even rarer than Chrome agricole the thick juice is further evaporated in a cooking station eventually forming sugar crystals so-called seed crystals are added as very fine sugar to accelerate this process these crystals are then separated from the viscous syrup by spinning the syrup in high-speed centrifuges in the process the sugar cane crystals get stuck in a sieve the dark brown viscous syrup that remains as a byproduct is the Molasses which still contains about 50 percent sugar molasses is the starting material for most rums these are called room traditional some newer rums are blends of agricole and traditional foreign s are fermented with water and yeast to make rum the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide in addition to these two main components skimming Dunder and muck can also be added to this blend called MASH which is often practiced with Jamaican rum skimming is a foam obtained during sugar production and in some cases added to the rum Mash before fermentation [Applause] Dunder is the stillage the semi-solid residue from the bottom of the Stills that remains after a distillation run some distilleries store the stillage in wooden Vats or Dunder pits mock is a mixture of Dunder sugar cane waste and trub this mixture which consists largely of dead yeast contains large amounts of butyric acid and higher fatty acids these combine with the ethyl alcohol to form what is known as an ester and produce fruity Aromas such as pineapple during this process compounds called congeners are produced they are responsible for the taste the type of yeast used the temperature of the fermentation and the level of non-sugar dissolved solids all affect the final product depending on the desired flavor profile fermentation can take 24 hours to two weeks the result is a beer like wash with 5 to 10 percent alcohol by volume rum is a spirit that can be categorized as either light or heavy based on the amount of congeners it contains congeners include Esters aldehydes and lower alcohols produced during fermentation light rums are produced in column Stills they typically have a shorter fermentation time and fewer impurities than heavy rums resulting in a more subtle and refined flavor the hail from former Spanish colonies such as Cuba the Dominican Republic Puerto Rico and Venezuela [Music] heavy rums are distilled from pot Stills they come from former French and English colonies including Haiti Jamaica Martinique Barbados Guiana and the Virgin Islands some distilleries blend light and heavy rums to create a rum that combines both characteristics after fermentation the wash is distilled two main types of Stills are used in rum production pot Stills and continuous or column stills pot Stills the original and simplest type of still are essentially copper Stills used to make malt whiskey in Scotland and cognac in France the wash is heated to a boiling point because alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature than water the alcoholic Vapor Rises up the neck of the still the water remains behind distillation separates the alcohol and most odors and flavors from the water and concentrates them the resulting raw Spirit or low wine has an alcohol content of about 20 percent to further increase the alcohol content it is distilled a second time the second run produces a distillate that typically contains over 70 percent alcohol by volume retorts are common additions to pot Stills and rum making the distillate from the still is fed into the first of two retorts the first retort the so-called low-wine retort is filled with water diluted low wines from the previous distillation the hot steam boils the liquid and concentrates the strength of the steam which is then directed into the secondary tort the second retart also called The High Wine retort is filled with high wines that have been diluted with water again the vapor brings the liquid to a boil and the alcohol content of the vapor is increased a second time the liquids introduced into the retorts dramatically affect the Finish to distill it the vapor is then fed into a heat exchanger so the alcohol Vapors cool and liquefy again column Stills are very efficient for making rum due to their continuous operation and ability to produce high alcohol concentrations they consist of two columns that can be separated or joined as one extra tall column the analyzer column and the rectification column in the analyzer column steam is introduced at the bottom of the column and the wash at the halfway point the hot steam Rises while the wash runs down perforated copper trays in each column allow heavier compounds to be distilled with lighter compounds rising to the top the rectification column is connected to the analyzer column and thirst concentrate the alcohol Vapor further and further from the First Column the alcohol vapor from the First Column enters at the bottom and Rises the alcohol vapor cools down through the perforated copper floors and is liquefied again the steam now continues to rise from floor to floor in this way the alcohol is enriched and the vapor becomes more and more potent as it rises the higher the still the purer the alcohol produced like Old distillates Rum is clear after distillation regardless of whether it is distilled in pot or column stills white rum is reduced to the desired drinking strength after distillation this unaged young rum is preferred when producing rum cocktails and long drinks color comes from the Aging in Oak barrels and the addition of caramel color American Oak casks previously used for bourbon are most commonly used for aging rum the interior of these casks is charred when first made in The Cooperage caramelizing the natural sugars on the wood surface and increasing the vanillin content the quality of these casks and their treatment dramatically affect the character aging spirits in the humid tropical climates typical of the Caribbean and South America has very different effects than Aging in a colder climate like Scotland volume losses due to evaporation are also exaggerated in hotter climates around six percent per year as opposed to one and a half to three percent in Scotland [Music] but it is not only the production methods and the maturation in the barrel that are responsible for the taste of a rum it is influenced by its origin and terroir including the microclimate this leads to Unique rum styles for each island or country charcoal filtration is a key step in producing light rums this process removes harsh and undesirable elements from the rum different types of charcoal can be used to Target specific substances and smooth the rum this process can also remove the color imparted to The Rum by aging charcoal filtration can occur before and after the aging process blending is the final step in altering a rum's character often using a mix of light and dark rums of varying ages some Blends may include only five percent or less of pot still to enhance flavor however there is a lack of regulations and governing bodies regarding age statements and additives in many rum producing nations in the world of rum looks can be deceiving caramel is often added to give age drums a darker color and sometimes to make them appear older than they actually are on the other hand some Mage drums are filtered to remove all color leaving them Crystal Clear aged rums are Blended from different rums of various ages and types and before they are bottled they are left to marry in tanks this blending process allows the different flavors and Aromas to meld together into a harmonious hole I hope you're able to learn more about the fascinating and diverse world of rum making with the help of this animation if you are interested in more animated explainers please click that like button and subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss any of my videos [Music]

Channel: EXPLANATION-AVENUE - 3D Animationen Oliver Ende

Views: 25,612

Keywords: Rum making, 3d animation, rum distillation, sugar cane, aging in barrel, spirit making, rum production, rum process, virtual journey, art of rum making, rum lover, animation experience

Id: ASEbM8M0Gig

Length: 14min 29sec (869 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 02 2023