Rhum Agricole

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                      "Agriculture is the greatest and fundamentally                                                                the most important of our industries. 

                      The cities are but the branches of the tree of national                                                       life, the roots of which go deeply into the land.

                      We all flourish or decline with the farmer."

                             Bernard Baruch (American financier, philanthropist and political consultant)

                                   Rhum Agricole:

       Understanding the Concepts and  Definitions

If you are a long-term reader of “Got Rum?” Magazine, you’ve certainly read the numerous interviews we’ve published with distillers around the world, all claiming to be making an authentic “Rhum Agricole” or “Agricole-style” rum.

There are also many misconceptions about what is and is not allowed in the official world of Rhum Agricole from Martinique.  Most people, for example, assume that pot stills are required, while -in fact- true Rhum Agricole must be distilled using continuous distillation stills, but more on this later.

In this article we will focus on the different aspects of the official Rhum Agricole definition, and compare them to what producers in other countries are doing.

Let’s begin by looking at the agriculture aspect of the definition/regulation from Martinique:

  • Sugarcane cultivation is limited to municipalities on Martinique.  In other words, cane cannot be shipped to Martinique for cultivation or for processing (extracting juice) intended for the production of Rhum Agricole.
  • Sugarcane varieties are not restricted, the regulation allows for Saccharum officinarum, Saccharum spontaneum and their hybrids.  The regulation requires at least 4 years of acclimatization before newly-introduced varieties can be used in the production of Rhum Agricole.  Genetically-modified varieties are prohibited.
  • Artificial irrigation of the planted sugarcane is only allowed for the first six months following planting or harvesting.  It is strictly prohibited to irrigate it between December 1st and the date of harvest, which has to take place on or after January 1st.
  • Harvest yields must not exceed 120 tons of cane per hectare.  The average Brix reading (dissolved sugar) from the extracted juice should be equal to or higher than 14 degrees and the pH level cannot be lower than 4.7.

So let’s look now at how these concepts compare to what is being done by producers elsewhere, regardless of their intention to produce an Agricole-Style rum or not.

  • Limiting sugarcane cultivation to municipalities or jurisdictions within the same country makes sense only when there is an established sugarcane industry in the country.  When there is not, distillers are faced with the challenge of also becoming farmers, planting and harvesting their own cane.
  • Variety control and harvest yields are controls against the excessive depletion of nutrients from the soil, which would then require additional fertilizers or amendments (with their corresponding environmental consequences).
  • Artificial irrigation happens to coincide in that part of the world with the end of the rain season, so the soil is drying up naturally and the sugarcane changes from “growth mode” (plant development) to “maturity mode” (sugarcane development).  In all sugarcane-producing regions around the world, harvest time must wait until the soil is dry, otherwise the trucks and equipment get trapped in the slick mud, as shown on this photo:

Let us look now at the fermentation of the sugarcane juice, according to the Rhum Agricole norm from Martinique:

  • It must be carried out in batches (not continuously), in open containers with a maximum capacity of 50,000 liters (13,200 gallons).
  • The maximum fermentation time permitted is 120 hours.
  • The final alcohol concentration of the fermented wash cannot exceed 7.5% ABV.

How do these requirements compare to what is done elsewhere in the world, by producers large and small?

  • Most of the rum made around the world is fermented in batches.  Only a few distilleries use continues fermentation systems, which are expensive to set-up, but extremely easy to operate under normal conditions.
  • Fermentation times vary, with large scale fermentations for neutral (low-congener) alcohol lasting less than 24 hours and high-ester fermentations lasting 3 weeks or more.
  • The maximum ABV of the fermented wash is 7.5%, which is on the low side of most commercial fermentations in the rest of the world, where producers try to push the yields above 10%, to maximize the amount of alcohol obtained from each fermentation run.

Let’s move on to the distillation aspect of the operation.  These are the requirements from the Martinique Rhum Agricole norm:

  • Distillation has to take place between January and September.  In other words, it can start shortly after the cane harvest begins and it can extend a bit after its end.
  • Must be distilled using continuous distillation, employing a column that is between 0.7 and 2 meters (2 to 6 feet) in diameter, with 20-24 plates.
  • Distillate must be collected at a daily average strength between 65% and 75% ABV.
  • The congener level must be at least 325 grams per hectoliter of pure -Anhydrous- Alcohol (AA).  This is the same as 325 milligrams per 100 mL of AA.

So how does this compare to the rest of the world?

  • Most of the large industrial ethanol producers around the world employ the continuous distillation method, because it is more efficient than the discontinuous (batch or pot) approach.  Whereas Rhum Agricole relies on a single column with 20-24 plates, neutral alcohol producers will have a first column almost identical to it (usually 21 plates), but will then have an additional 3 to 4 more columns, each fed with alcohol from the previous column, in ever-increasing ethanol concentrations.
  • Most of the small, craft, producers around the world, however, use pot stills.
  • Producers using continuous distillation columns will usually obtain alcohol at between 65% and 75% from their first column, but are also able to further rectify it in the subsequent columns, until reaching an ABV of close to 96.4%.
  • The congener level of alcohol from single-column distillate will be similar to that of the Rhum Agricole, but will decrease as the number of columns increases.

Finally, let’s look at the aging requirements, first from the Martinique norm:

  • “Blanc” (White) Agricole must be aged for a minimum of 6 weeks in oak casks.
  • “Elevé Sous Bois” must be aged at least 12 months.
  • "Vieux” must be aged a minimum of three years in casks/barrels with a capacity not to exceed 650 liters.

How do these requirements compare to common practices around the world?

  • With very few exceptions, “White” rums are never aged.
  • Some countries have a minimum age requirement for sugarcane alcohol to be called “rum”.  In some cases this is 12 months, in others it is 2 or even 3 years.
  • Most of the aged rum from around the world is aged in ex-Bourbon barrels, which tend to have a capacity of 53 gallons (200 liters).

Finally, let’s look at the “Finishing” or “Blending” requirements, again starting with the norm from Martinique:

  • Caramel and other “finishing methods” are allowed, as long as they don’t exceed 2% by volume of the final product.

What do rum norms in other parts of the world have to say about the addition of sugar and caramel?

  • In the USA, the regulatory agency in charge of alcohol is the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).  For rum, the TTB allows the addition of sugar and caramel, up to 2.5% by volume of the finished product.  This addition of sugar and/or caramel does NOT require label disclosure.
  • In the European Union, caramels are also allowed (even for Scotch Whisky), but disclosure is more controlled than in the USA.  The same goes for sugar: the EU is defining a maximum amount of sugar for rum, which is 20 grams per liter, except in cases where the Denomination of Origin -if one exists- of the particular rum allows for a higher quantity.

Summary

Now that you’ve had the opportunity to review the official “Rhum Agricole” definition from Martinique, how do you feel about high-congener Rums, Tafias, Aguardientes or Cachaças produced elsewhere?  Do you think it is possible to have “Agricole-Style” rum/rhum produced in countries other than Martinique?  Do you feel that true “Rhum Agricole” denomination should be limited to distilleries that employ large continuous distillation columns or should small (pot still) operators be also allowed, as long as they adhere to the rest of the requirements?

Over the years we’ve interviewed craft distillers from around the world, who claim to be making either Agricole or Agricole-style rum.  A couple of examples include:

  • Hawaiian Agricole, read the September 2020 issue of “Got Rum?” (Exclusive Interview) and
  • Rhum Africole, as described in this month’s Exclusive Interview.

While it is true that formal norms, such as Martinique’s, are hard to achieve, these norms are usually the result of collaboration between the largest rum producers in the respective country, rather than the result of a single-company’s interests.  

These norms can represent either a collective aspirational goal of maintaining high standards, or can also act as a barrier of entry, to keep smaller or new players from entering the market and becoming competitors.

Regardless of the initial motives behind them, these regulations are shaping and protecting a very important segment of the rum market and, as such, they should be recognized and respected by consumers and industry members.