· 

Ageing and maturation of rum and the Jolly Roger rum price

Jolly Roger Rum Price

 

Rum is produced from sugarcane molasses and sugarcane juice through the processes of milling, fermentation, distillation and ageing. Different types of rum are light or white or clear or silver, gold or amber, dark, overproof and spiced.

 

These different types of rum are produced by using different types of casks for ageing. Light rum is aged in stainless steel tanks or casks for 1 - 2 years. It is charcoal filtered to extract any colour and the impurities that are developed during the ageing process. Dark rum is aged in charred oak barrels for over 2 years. 

 

Gold rum is aged in charred oak barrels for a shorter period of time like 18 months. Caramel colour is added to it to get the desired amber colour. Overproof rum has a higher alcohol content than other rums. Spiced rum is made by infusing spices during the blending stage. Usually, sugar or caramel is added for sweetness. One type of rum is the Jolly Roger rum which is made from special matured spirits. The Jolly Roger rum price is perfect for what it offers. 

 

Ageing and Maturation

After the distillation process, the rum obtained is stored in stainless steel casks or wooden barrels and allowed to age. During this process, rum reacts with wood and develops its colour, aroma and taste.

 

Maturation is the final stage achieved after ageing. It is not measured by ageing the rum for a fixed time period. It is assessed by distinctive characteristics like the colour, aroma and taste developed during ageing. 

 

Two types of wooden barrels are used for ageing rum: new barrels and second-hand barrels. The second-hand barrels are used to reduce the cost and these barrels have been already charred. If new barrels then they have to be heated and charred before processing rum.

 

The charring process alters the characteristics of wood by caramelising sugar. It increases the vanillin content and removes the undesirable tannins. The most commonly used wood for making barrels is the American Oak. Oak wood can produce flavours like vanillin which is a vanilla-like flavour, coconut flavour in whisky and spiced clove-like flavour. 

 

The type of barrel used is the most important factor and the rum producers do not have any control over the barrel quality. During the ageing process, many reactions take place. The wood reacts with the raw rum, chemical compounds get extracted from the wood, chemical compounds react with rum, rum components react with each other, evaporation of some compounds from the cask and the rum reacts with the air in the cask.  

 

The time taken for maturation depends on factors like the atmospheric conditions and the location of the warehouse. The longer the rum is aged the darker the colour and the more complex its flavour.