From the Editor: Alembic Allure

Alembic Allure

The misconception about where rum flavors come from has confused many consumers, even self-described “experts”. I often hear statements such as:

  • Only pot stills produce flavorful rums
  • Only column stills produce clean, high quality rums
  • Only sugarcane juice/evaporated cane juice/molasses/unrefined sugar can produce good rum

The truth is that neither pot nor continuous column stills generate flavors or aromas: all they do is concentrate those that are formed during fermentation.

A skillful continuous column still operator can produce a rum that is virtually identical to one produced from an alembic still by knowing where to get the distillate from (first, second, third or subsequent columns).  Likewise, a pot still “craft distiller” may add a rectifying column to the still, or may opt to re-distill multiple times in order to get a more neutral, higher-proof distillate.  Unfortunately, both column and pot still operators can also produce horrible rums if they have poorly planned or mismanaged fermentations.  

In previous columns I’ve spoken ad nauseam about the right and wrong type and volume of congeners needed in a rum for it to be considered “good,” based on its style and purpose (aging, flavoring, etc...). So why is there a perception in the industry about the stills themselves being responsible for the flavors present in the rum? The answer is very simple: stills are large, expensive pieces of equipment, often enshrined as part of distillery tours. These metal contraptions are very visible, provide for interesting photo opportunities for guests and represent a beating heart for the company. But this “beating heart” is not producing blood, it is only circulating it and, in the case of  rum, concentrating it. The lifeblood of the distillery comes from the smelly, messy and often shunned fermentation tanks where yeasts are happily transforming sugars into alcohol.

The industry is –unfortunately– afflicted by cane juice, molasses and sugar-based rums, horribly produced using equipment ranging from simple retort pot stills to continuous distillation columns. At the root of these poor distillates is a lack of understanding of fermentative processes and their undying impact on rum all the way down to the consumer’s glass.

Cheers,

Luis Ayala, Editor and Publisher