Lesson IV - Rum Selection and its Consequences
(To read the previous lessons, please visit the Got Rum? Archives page)
In last month’s lesson, we explored the glass bottle options available to brand owners, along with the consequences associated with specific choices. In this lesson we’ll explore the decisions surrounding the selection of the actual rum that will be stored within the bottle.
1. Let’s begin with the simplest option, white rum:
Due to its color- less nature, white rum is more likely to reveal the presence of impurities -such as suspended or precipitated particles- than its dark/golden counterparts. The pairing of a white rum with Flint or Super Flint glass bottles should be seen as a requirement for specialized filtration. Also, if the bottle is going to employ a natural cork, it is also important to make sure that cork will not impart any undesirable color to the rum.
2. Next, let’s explore consequences associated with spiced or flavored rums:
In the US A, all spices and flavors added to a rum, must be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) and also by the TTB's (Tax and Trade Bureau) beverage laboratory. This means that if a spiced or flavored rum is produced outside of the USA, all ingredients employed in its production MUST have FDA and TTB Lab approval in order for the rum’s label to be approved for sale in the country. This is a very important point, and I’ve seen countless of operations fail because they used local ingredients that are not, and cannot, be approved by the FDA. The best option here, is to order the spices and flavors from US companies in the first place.
3. Let us go over aged rums now, since most of the private label brands are likely to be in this space. As per US and EU regulations, when dealing with aged rums, if the brand owner desires to display the age of the rum on the label (and most do), that age (the “age statement”), for blends of different rums, must be the age of the youngest. So, if a rum is a blend of equal parts 2, 4 and 6 year old rums, the age statement can only read “2 Year Old Rum”. This is the main reason why some aged rums opt to not include an age, using instead descriptors such as “Family Reserve,” “Special Cask,” etc.
Heavy-congener aged rums tend to acidify during aging. The more aging, the more acidic the rums become (lower pH).
This is usually an innocuous aspect of aging, except when the congeners are present in the form of higher alcohols (propanol, butanol, pentanol, etc.), because the acids formed from these alcohols are known as “Fatty Acids” and are not as soluble in water as they are in alcohol.
This is one of the reason some whiskys are bottled at strengths higher than 40%, because the more water present in the blend, the more likely the fatty acids will clump into miscelles and make the product come across as “cloudy”.
One way to resolve this issue, if one must bottle at 40%, is to chill filter, but removing the fatty acids result in removal of many of the congeners responsible for the flavor. Many companies opt, instead, to include messages such as “un-filtered” or “unprocessed” or simply stick to ABV strengths that naturally provide enough alcohol for the fatty acids to remain in solution.
4. And since we are talking about proof, let’s elaborate a bit.
It is worth mentioning that some countries require for the alcohol concentration to be at 40% or above, in order for the product to be sold as rum. Other countries, however, allow for rum to be sold with as little as 35% alcohol, and there are some countries that also have upper limits, thus preventing traditional over-proof rums to be considered rums. So always confirm the requirements of your target country first, before having labels printed and bottles filled!
Also, familiarize yourself with the alcohol determination methods approved in each country. Government agencies have adopted different methods and are likely to only recognize results obtained through those methods. Most hand-held electronic density meters, for example, lack the precision required by authorities for tax and compliance purposes.
Now you know a little bit more about the extra work/attention to detail that each type of rum may require in order to be compliant.
Brand owners should always consult with their independent bottler or with their bulk rum supplier in order to understand if the filtration and alcohol proofing standards employed are enough for their rum style and their desired target market.
Next month we’ll talk about additional information that may or may not need to be displayed, including, for example, the use of caramel, sugar and other additives.
See you then!
Luis Ayala
Rum Consultant