FAQ - RHUM DE FRANCE

The Rum Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is rum?

Like brandy and whisky, rum is a spirit (a distilled beverage that contains no added sugar and has at least 20% alcohol by volume). Rum is made from sugarcane using molasses (a byproduct of sugarcane processing) or freshly squeezed sugar cane juice.

What are Arack, Guildive, Fangourin and Tafia?

Fangourin is a French name for a non-distilled sugar juice alcohol (the ancestor of agricole rum).
Arack is a name used for several drinks and also refers to a non-distilled molasses alcohol.
Guildive (Kill Devil) and Tafia have been used as alternate names for both non-distilled beverages.

Where are the best rums found?

Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical or temperate climate and is therefore cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. As a result rum originated in a tropical region where the best rums are still found today.

Does climate affect the rum quality?

Climate will affect the sugarcane crops, the quality of the canes as defined by their sugar levels and indirectly the quality of the rum produced.

Climate will directly affect the aging process in two ways, relative aging speed and volume decrease due to evaporation. A rum aged under a tropical climate will mature three times faster than a spirit aged under a less favorable climate. The drawback is that the angel's share (the proportion lost due to evaporation) is significantly more important compared to a spirit aged in a cooler region.

Rhum, ron and rum, what are these?

In theory, they are the same, "rhum" is the French name, "ron" the Spanish name and "rum" the English name.
In practice however they differ by a little bit more than a name as the final product will be affected by climate, soil, sugarcane, distillation method, duration of aging, blending method...
To identify a rum style, name and country of origin are a good place to start otherwise you may approach your local rum expert.

What does "Rhum De France" mean?

Literally it means rum from France however what we mean really is French rhum as opposed to English (Navy) rum or Spanish ron.

What is a French rhum? What does A.O.C. mean?

We define French Rhum as rum made according to French tradition (based on Cognac) in the West Indies and the Indian Ocean. For us French rhum should not be limited to Overseas French Departments. However, we stress that the entire production process (from harvesting to fermentation, distillation, aging and bottling) should be conducted in the same estate or within the same island or territory.

The AOC system is even more restrictive than our own definition as it determined by origin and (controlled) cultivation patterns.

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) is the French equivalent to EU's Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
The purpose of the law is to protect the reputation of the regional foods and eliminate the unfair competition and misleading of consumers by non-genuine products, which may be of inferior quality or of different flavour.

Illustration: Map of Martinique AOC rums

Aged rum, how are they defined?
Are they all the same?

In short, they are defined by the amount of time spent to mature before being bottled.
If some countries are very strict about the age (e.g. France or E.U.) the global market is not and the age indicated may well be the oldest rum used in the blend. Besides, regulations will only require to display the minimum/maximum age where often it is the relative age that matters. For instance the Flamboyant 7 is equivalent (in age) to a 8-10 years brandy/cognac and a single barrel VSOP AOC rhum is equivalent (in age) to a 12-15 years single malt whisky.

What about rum with added flavor?

We stay away from rums with added flavor, artificial color and/or aged (faster) using specific scientific methods. The rums we select must meet the E.U. or French regulations for origin, fabrication process (including content) and label requirements.

What is a single barrel rum?

Like a single malt whisky, a single barrel rum is made from a single harvest and is not a blend of various rums. As a result the age indicated is the exact age of that rum.

What is a blended rum?
Are they all the same?

Blended rums as opposed to single barrel rums are made from mixing rums from the same estate but various ages into a single product. They are many blending methods and even variations of common methods. Spirit blending is an art an often a family secret. A classic blending method used by Spanish producers is the systema solera where barrels of various ages are pilled up as shown in the above photo.

What are Agricole, Industrial and Traditional rums?

An agricole rum (rhum agricole) is a rum made from first pressed sugar cane juice.
Industrial/Traditional rums are made from molasses, a byproduct of sugarcane processing.

What does "Pure Sugar Liquid Gold" mean?

"Pure Sugar Liquid Gold" is our motto. Liquid gold is the natural color or the rum after aging for a few years in an oak barrel. Pure Sugar refers to a rum made from sugar cane juice instead of molasses.

How do you compare rums and other spirits?

Here are a few pointers:
- aged rum is better than unaged rum (the older the better but there is little if any improvement beyond 20 years)
- agricole rum is in essence superior to traditional rum
- Spanish (ron) and English rums are mostly made from molasses (Traditional), most
French "rhums" on the other hand are Agricole
- a superior aged rhum (rum/ron) is as good if not better than similar spirits (e.g. aged single malt whiskey, Cognac XO)