therumclub

Dark Side of Rum

Tom Bulmer — Mon, 17 Apr 2017 03:07:00 +0000

An interesting SRC session on the idea of dark rum as a category. We invited Mitch Wilson from Plantation Rum and Pete Rosser from Goslings to discuss the nature of this style. Gosling's brought a beautiful culture and heritage to light and a history of blending rums on the shores of Bermuda for their Black Rum. While a surprise Goslings Family Reserve was well received as Pete further went into the importance of ageing. It was great to see that while dark rums are often associated with inferior navy rums or house pour dark rum that Gosling's are focus on taking this product to top end of the luxury spirit market. This rum sets the bar high for dark rums and demonstrates just how good the category can be if focused on putting the best rums from the best vintages in the bottle. An exceptional presentation and tasting raange for the dark rum category.

Meanwhile, with a number to Dark rums in the Plantation range, Mitch discussed whether there is a true dark rum category anymore. He spoke about a misguided modern rum market where the category white, gold, dark can't describe the history or variety of rum being produced. Plantation Original Dark moves us more to a traditional understanding of a category that was more defined by high esters and dosage. Then the yet to be released Plantation OFTD (Old Fashioned Traditional Dark) emerged for a taste and everyone wass quite excited to try it. This is a over proof and high ester rum that is trying to focus on the type of dark rum that Donn Beach & Trader Vic would have used. In a word Oh F$*# That's Delicious (Yeh i needed more than one word)!

There's no doubt that the meaning behind 'Dark Rum' has been lost, misuse and mistreated. Better classification of categories is needed which as we all know is a difficult task for rum because it involves so many islands & nations. ACR couldn't even get minimum age statements universally accepted. But dark rum does exist and will continue to exist in the market. Does this mean we should ignore it and make up new categories or should we bring dark rum back to the former glory as seen in Family Reserves and OFTDs? More importantly what will be more accepted by the larger market? I like to think there's enough room for both better classification of what clasiifies a dark rum for the general market as well as breakdown of the category into a more universally definable categories.

Origins of Spanish Rum

Tom Bulmer — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 04:32:00 +0000

It was truly inspiring looking at the heritage behind the Bacardi, Matusalem & Santa Teresa. These brands have certainly created a Spanish culture around rum, or ron might be more appropriate. While from completely separate nations we see a familiar focus on family and heritage in the brands. Fantastic presentations from Jim Wrigley, Pete Rosser and Loy Catada. It was a great mix of diverse brands and new members at Sydney Rum Club.

A big thanks to Bryce & Chau for letting us use Burrow Bar for the launch of rum club for 2017!

Much Rum,

Angostura di Amari - Brisbane

Bhavish Uttam — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 05:09:02 +0000

A non-Rum Club session on everything all encompassing about the house of Angostura presented by James (National Brand Ambassador) and Daniel (Global Brand Ambassador) all the way from Trinidad! Have an even higher respect now for their bitters range most especially after really understanding the history and the importance of consistency and quality in their products. Fingers crossed, will have something like this lined up for you guys soon!

Thanks to Hugh Taylor Luke Frost Daniel and James and all the guys from island2island for the session, was really brilliant!

International Charity Day - Sydney

Tom Bulmer — Mon, 05 Sep 2016 13:15:00 +0000

For a first session back at Rum Club we decided to do some special. We wanted to give alittle something back to the community. As such we held Sydney Rum Club on International Charity Day and invited rum brands that are involved in charities both locally and abroad.

It was great to hear about how Don Fucando's wife was so influential in the production of Bacardi. This family heritage influenced it's decision to take on Breast Cancer Awareness as a charity locally in Australia. We're all waiting for the "Mix It to Fix It!" competition.Next the guys from Fair Belize Rum told us about how difficult conditions in the Caribbean & South America inspired producing a rum that gave back to the sugar farmers. Ensuring sustainability is key to the brands ethos and it takes over 200 criteria to become fair trade certified. Lastly, Manuel Terron came back to Rum Club to talk to us about Pusser's Rum and how it has influenced the lives of sailors over the years by contributing to the naval fund. To this day they contribute the "Tot Fund" having raised money in the million over the years. A truly impressive feat.

A great return to the old Sydney Rum Club. To finish off the session we asked members to donate to a local charity Youth Off the Streets. We raised $500 on the night which we were told is enough to get a child off the streets in Sydney. A truly great cause and a great evening hearing a different side to the brands.

National Rum Day - Brisbane

Vish Uttam — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 05:11:00 +0000

To celebrate National Rum Day on August 16, Rum Club Brisbane in collaboration with Substation no. 41 Rum Bar in Brisbane’s famous Breakfast Creek Hotel presents our very 3rd Rum Masterclass. As a special treat for this month, we have Michael York the Director of Quittin’ Time coming all the way from Sydney to take us through the world famous El Dorado & La Mauny range of rums. Most of you will have tried or at least have heard of the awarded El Dorado range but we’re also adding the La Mauny range to try and introduce a bit of Agricole variety to those who have never had the pleasure of experiencing it. Michael will take us through a bit on how the business was founded, the history, the rums, the differentiation between the 2 styles of rums and the tasting notes.

Brisbane Rum Club - Venzuela

Vish Uttam — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 03:52:00 +0000

What an aweesome event last night! thank you to everyone for coming along and spending the night with us. couldn't have been any better. Saw some new faces, welcomed back the hardcore rum fans, the venezuelans for representing their culture and some new entrants to the rum world.

Massive shout out to the team at the walrus club for hosting us Scott Vickers Sarah Burgess , the delicious cocktail creations of some of the best mixologists in town -shayne, george and dan, the diageo team Aaron, Ivory, Simon Wade for bringing that beautiful venezuelan libation and the elaborate and detailed educational session put on by the reserve brand ambassador Jamie Fleming

Working on finalising the august one so stay tuned!

Until then, cheers!

Vish Uttam

ps. how good was the treacle!

Sydney Rum Club - Beenleigh Rum

Tom Bulmer — Wed, 25 Nov 2015 05:32:00 +0000

Fantastic to meet the guys from Beenleigh and see all the new ranges from Beenleigh. Australian rum is coming along way. I hope we see more and more from this Australian local producers.

The Havana Sensory Experience - Sydney

Mon, 28 Sep 2015 13:13:00 +0000

Audrey Hands takes us through the Havana range in new depths with complementing flavours, smells and sounds. A unique experience by the harbour and a modern look at the brand.

A Taste of Vintage

Mon, 31 Aug 2015 12:58:00 +0000

John Gakuru takes us through a privileged selection of rums from the Think Spirits. Explaining the impacts of aging techniques and the importance of vintage.

Smith & Cross Vs Dictador

Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:04:00 +0000

From the powerful flavours of a Pot still Smith & Cross through to a chocolate sweet Spanish Dictador. What's your favourite character?

Do you love Pina Coladas?

Tom Bulmer — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 06:24:00 +0000

There's something undeniably beautiful about a sweet creamy rum cocktail served out of a pineapple. But is it really just about the drink? A Pina Colada is more about an experience and possibly a memory of good times much like rum. They remind us of holidays on tropical islands, sitting by the beach, the start of summer, they simply remind us of that party with friends.

So why do some have a distain for such tropical pleasures? to complete..

First off, let's talk about how to make the best Pina Colada in town.

Still Motion

Tom Bulmer — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 07:12:00 +0000

When we talk about different flavours whether it be light floral notes or heavier rich molasses , we are often actually noting the effects of different distillation techniques. Many spirits use a single method, because rum was developed by different colonies it has meant that many various approaches are used even today.

The classic copper pot stills the much of those lightest floral banana notes come from the primary part of the distillation which can be altered by deciding the extent of the “heads” (the first alcohol from the still) is allowed or cut out. Similarly the end of a distillation, the “tails” produce the oily, richer congeners often referred to as the ‘fusel oils’ in a rum. Defining the cut of heads and tails is not as simple 10 or 20 percent off each end. It is a timed cut to determine the signature style the producer wants to create in their rum.

Column distillation as a process tends to produce much lighter textures in rum as a process. They also use collection plates at different points of the column to determine the rum the distiller would like to achieve. They may take upto twenty ‘cuts’ from various heights of the continuous distillation with very different alcohol strength and flavours. An often overlooked defining character in agricultural rum, or ‘rhum agricole’, made in Martinique is the that the local A.O.C. restricts the column still to only have a maximum of 9 concentration plates and a diameter not exceeding 2 meters.

It must be remembered that there are many other process such as the use of a retort or "doubler" that can have additional impacts beyond the simple use of different types of stills. A retort (seen right) act to create a high alcohol content off the first distillation, which may mean the rum won't be distilled a second time and may have more heat in the final distillate (newly made rum/alcohol). It must be remembered that when producing rum that there can be no statement of 'better' styles of rum. Whether it be column or pot distillation good practices of marrying the right distillation technique to a particular type of barrels for the right amount of time. But the final product can only start with a good primary distillate to use in future ageing process.

ABV (Alcohol By Volume) % is instrumental in determining the intensity of the flavours achieved in distillation. This is partly due to the levels of water needed to bring down the distillate to a bottling percentage much like many bartenders use juice to lengthen out of cocktail. If rum comes off the still at 90% ABV and the bottle in front of you has a ABV of 40% then over half of the bottle in front of you is water. Although not many rum producers would distil so high because there would be considerably less flavour, these high percentages best left to vodka. For rum the ABV intensity as defined by the column plates or the length of a pot stills neck can often affect the flavour of the rum and are important parts of the rum you drink.

The cultural differences between various colonies meant that producers were asked to design rum for the palates of the mother country. As rums change and develop today not much has changed, with each advancement or new technique used we see rum moving in many different directions capturing many different palates. In rums now global market there is many more than just a single colony it has to satisfy.

Much Love, More Rum,

Rum: The Tropical Age

Tom Bulmer — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 11:09:00 +0000

Feel like your getting old? Imagine sitting in a wooden barrel in the Caribbean heat for a few years. Ageing any spirit is a difficult and expensive process. For rum, these problems are compounded tenfold over other spirits given the proximity of the nearest cooperage from where many of the islands making the rum can buy the barrels, so why do we spend time and money ageing?

Well let’s start with the obvious reason that in our beautiful rum nation of Australia we are one of the only countries that require any product labelled as “Rum” to be aged for a minimum of 2yrs in wooden barrels. Because of this old fashioned law many amazing and world recognised brands of rum are unavailable in Australia. With heavy taxes and a difficult legal system (imported rums still fall under a fuel law) many brands simply choose European and American markets for there rum.

Now that we got legal obligation out of the way we can talk about the most important part, flavour! Much of the Caribbean locally drink rum ‘straight off the still’, but there is a growing desire for aged rum on our side of the world, which has left many rum producers turning the oak. The significance of buying barrels from America, and even as far as Europe, is not an age statement, it is one of the oldest the flavouring techniques used, in essence ‘spicing’ rum. Through the breathing process of the oak rum is sucked into the oak in the heat and expelled back in the cold, leading to introduction of flavours such as vanillin and tannin from the specific oak being used. Given that temperature effects the introduction of the flavours from the barrels, the extreme temperatures of the Caribbean means a big difference compared to that in Europe, especially after a few years. Ageing in the Caribbean occurs on average three times quicker than in the UK and much of Europe due to this temperature disparity, hot days and cold nights. This is referred to as ‘tropical ageing’ and means it is important to consider where the rum in your hand comes from.

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Another consideration is trusting the accuracy of that statement, which in the Caribbean, is a difficult thing considering the lack policing and internationally accepted standards. An age statement on rum is only ever as relevant as the listed country of origin. As difficult as all this might seem I’ve always found that quality is a flavour, not the shape of the bottle or a pretty label. If you’re in doubt about whether or not your rum tastes good then pick up a glass and have a taste, like it?

Much Love, Much Rum,

Tom Bulmer

The Rum Club

Tiki Face Off!!

Sun, 14 Sep 2014 12:31:00 +0000

Such a CRAZY day of rum fuelled tropical drinks, Jamaican beats & amazing cocktail presentations! The Lobo Plantation nailed it in the day with everything from Scuba Divers to Baron Samedi making drinks. Truly a presentation like no other!!

Sugarcane Sunday

Sun, 06 Apr 2014 06:53:00 +0000

On Sunday the 24th March we saw the first Sugarcane Sunday bringing all of the major rum companies together to say one thing, this is still a rum colony!

With close to 300 people over the afternoon this event show cased 50 rums from various suppliers in our Caribbean rum market. Each supplier brought their own culture to the event from Think Spirits with there Tiki Corner to Appleton’s Estate speed Planter’s Punch competition. Sugarcane was the chance for not only rum but all of the Sugarcane family whether it is British, French, Spanish, or even Brazilian. It was fascinating to see Germana and Leblon Cachaca tasted next to Rhum Agricole from various Caribbean islands. The new process of cross blending of 10 Cane compared to personality in New Zeland's own Stolen rums from Trinidad. Having Plantation's full panel of vintage rums from over 10 individual rum distilleries was an opportunity to see all of the differences in taste and culture that we can see in rum side by side. It was a true day for rum enthusiasts and a great chance to have so many great rums and rum personalities in one place.

The Standard was converted into a rum market set to the sounds of live streaming Island radio stations setting the mood for a celebration of rum in the Caribbean. We saw many fascinating insights into how rum is produced from the new cross blending of 10 Cane rum, a full range of Cubaney rums, to a new understanding that rum doesn’t have to be dark to be amazing in the Havana Club 3 anos, Mt Gay Eclipse Silver, and Flor de Cana 4yr. As well as how aging can produce completely different experiences between cultures whether it be a Jamaican Appleton’s or the Dominican Matusalem rum. We saw Ron Abuelo Panama Rum in Australia choosing to launch its range in front of rum enthusiasts for the first time at Sugarcane Sunday as well as Inner Circle announcing that it has moved its rum production back to its home in Australia. A sweet pleasure was given in tasting the new Bacardi Oakheart Spiced Rum, next to the popular Kraken Black Spiced and Rebellion Bay Spiced it was fascinating to see how spiced rums can be a true part of the rum fraternity with distinct flavours and palates.

Choosing any of the rums on display in classic rum cocktails on the bar was a real insight into why it is so important to have unique flavours that each rum brings to the table. Especially when it's in the Pina Colada!

Why Rum?

Tom Bulmer — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 08:00:00 +0000

Rum invokes the fun in us all, no other spirit can enjoy such diversity and still have such a strong attachment to the little island it was made on or the culture of the people that made it. Rum isn’t made by the British, French or the Spanish it’s made by all of them, each with their own personality behind it. It carries its nation’s passion with it where ever it goes and I think people can taste that in their first sip.

To master distiller’s and brand ambassadors on tour when asked about what they feel the best quality of their Rum is they always tell me about their country, their people and their culture, because to them that’s what’s in the bottle. If Rum was a girl she’d be a social butterfly with a devilish smile, a naughty past, and a cheeky laugh that fills up the room.

Even Australia produces a very distinctive style of dark rum that is unique to our country and forms part of our culture. The main advice I would give to someone who has yet to enjoy rum is to try each style of rum before you pass judgement. The dark Australian rum is quite different from the light aromatic Spanish rums found in a Mojito; or the bold, creamy flavours of aged English style rums. While from the French islands we see the unique rhum agricole style with a palate generally reserved for those who enjoy eau-de-vie and cognac. Even spiced rums with the addition of complementing spices far removed from other spirits such as cardamom, nutmeg, coconut, all - spice, bois bande (a natural aphrodistiac), even gunpowder!

The origin of a rum tells us the story of its palate and its people. It is a natural selection that leaves us with the flavours and culture that we taste everyday in our rums. So next time you sit down to take a dram I ask you one thing, what do you taste?

Much Rum,

Tom Bulmer

The Rum Club