Distillation and final product?

[Mr Fjeld]

I was wondering about a couple of things and would appreciate any help. Do any of the distillers in the "french" areas such as Haiti and Martinique use pot stills?
After reading "Rum" by Dave Broom I got the impression that "single column still" is the prefered choice among distillers in this area?
Secondly, do any producers irrespective of area - make a rum based solely from spirit made in pot stills, or do they all make blends containing spirit from both pot stills and continous stills?

Cheers!
Christian

[Edward Hamilton]

In the Eastern Caribbean there are a only a few pot stills in operation. There are two pot stills being used in Barbados, one pot still, which is only used about once a year, at the St James distillery in Martinique. There are two pot stills operating in Grenada, one in Guyana, three in Trinidad, and there are several pot stills operating in Jamaica. Of these only the pot still rum made in Grenada, and a small amount from Martinique, is not blended with other rum before it is bottled by the distiller. There are a few pot still rums from Jamaica which have been aged and bottled by rum merchants on the other side of the Atlantic but most of that rum is blended as well.

The pot still rum from Barbados is all blended into commercially available rums.

While this may seem like a lot of pot still rum being produced, most of these are relatively small stills. The pot still in Trinidad is used exclusively to make 10 Cane and is the newest distillery in the islands. (I'll post more on that in a few days.)

Lastly, there is a small pot still operating in Cane Garden Bay, British Virgin Islands. No wonder Jimmy Buffet liked that place so much.

[Mr Fjeld]

Thanks for your answer :)
I'm new to rum but would like to learn as much as possible. It's interesting to see that there are so many differences yet so many similarities between the various types of spirits. To blend high proof rum with some pot still rum seems fairly similar to creating a blended whisky where most of the whisky will be grain and some will be a "top dressing" of single malt. But it also looks like there are som similarities between scottish single malt and the ruhm made in single columns in Martinique. If I understood Dave Broom correctly the new make ruhm made there have to be between 65-75% and would thus consist of several heavy congeners?

Sorry for all the constant babbling - it's just so interesting. I cannot decide on which rum to buy next but I think I'll go for one from J.M, Trois Riviere or Clement. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Cheers!
Christian

[El Dorado]

In the Eastern Caribbean there are a only a few pot stills in operation. There are two pot stills being used in Barbados, one pot still, which is only used about once a year, at the St James distillery in Martinique. There are two pot stills operating in Grenada, one in Guyana, three in Trinidad, and there are several pot stills operating in Jamaica. Of these only the pot still rum made in Grenada, and a small amount from Martinique, is not blended with other rum before it is bottled by the distiller. There are a few pot still rums from Jamaica which have been aged and bottled by rum merchants on the other side of the Atlantic but most of that rum is blended as well.


The pot still rum from Barbados is all blended into commercially available rums.

While this may seem like a lot of pot still rum being produced, most of these are relatively small stills. The pot still in Trinidad is used exclusively to make 10 Cane and is the newest distillery in the islands. (I'll post more on that in a few days.)

Lastly, there is a small pot still operating in Cane Garden Bay, British Virgin Islands. No wonder Jimmy Buffet liked that place so much.

We at DDL have Two wooden pot stills - a double wooden pot and a single wooden pot. We also have a straight aged pot still rum - the El Dorado Single Barrel PM.

[Matusalem]

There are two pot stills being used in Barbados, one pot stil, which is only used about once a year, at the St James distillery in Martinique. There are two pot stills operating in Grenada, one in Guyana, three in Trinidad, and there are several pot stills operating in Jamaica.

The pot still in Trinidad is used exclusively to make 10 Cane and is the newest distillery in the islands. (I'll post more on that in a few days.)Ed ,

Hopefully you won't find this as complete nitpicking. Above if I read correctly you said there were 3 pot stills in Trinidad. Is that the correct # and if it is, when you said "The pot still in Trinidad is used exclusively to make 10 Cane" did that mean all 3 are dedicated to 10C production? Just trying to get an accurate picture of things. Thanks!

[krustykrab]

The pot still rum from Barbados is all blended into commercially available rums.



What are the Barbados rums containing the pot stilled spirit?

[Matusalem]

Mount Gay, I'd bet.

[krustykrab]

Mount Gay, I'd bet.

Ahh, yes... from their website:

"A unique distillation process - Continuous & Batch distillation*: Unlike most of the other rums, the unique character of Mount Gay rum is fashioned from two specific and associated methods of distillation. One is the continuous distillation, a fragmented process using a Column still. The resulting distillate contains 97% alcohol by volume and has the subtle characteristics of rum. The second one is the batch distillation performed in smaller batches using unique Cooper 'Pot' still. In this second process, alcohol is distilled twice in the pot still and the final double distillate contains less alcohol, around 86%, but is much more intense and robust than the single distillate. Thanks to the use of this two different distillation process, Continuous & Batch distillations, Mount Gay rum has an exceptional flavour, which distinguishes it from all the other brands."

I wonder if there are others there, too?

[The Scribe]

I was reading an article on a wine fermenting website where they comment on an inverted spinner (?) device to refine wines and choose specific esters. Does that get used in rums at all?
Cheers. - S

[Rum Runner]

I was reading an article on a wine fermenting website where they comment on an inverted spinner (?) device to refine wines and choose specific esters. Does that get used in rums at all?
Cheers. - S

That's something I've never heard of. Could you provide the website you read that on?

[Edward Hamilton]

Ed ,

Hopefully you won't find this as complete nitpicking. Above if I read correctly you said there were 3 pot stills in Trinidad. Is that the correct # and if it is, when you said "The pot still in Trinidad is used exclusively to make 10 Cane" did that mean all 3 are dedicated to 10C production? Just trying to get an accurate picture of things. Thanks!

That is correct, I should written that all three pot stills in Trinidad are dedicated to making 10 Cane. You can see some pictures of the largest of those pot stills in the 10 Cane folder (http://www.ministryofrum.com/10%20cane/).

[Edward Hamilton]

I wonder if there are others there, too?

The West Indies Rum Refinery using a steam-fired pot still in addition to a multi-column still. Rum from this pot still is blended in a number of Barbados rums including Cockspur and Mount Gay.