What’s the difference between cane juice and molasses rum?

We’re glad you asked!  

Firstly, it’s worth noting cane juice rum can have different names depending where it’s made. Cane juice rum from the French Caribbean islands is known as Rhum Agricole (meaning agricultural rum), while in Brazil they make Cachaca.

Historically in Australia we have always made rum from molasses rather than cane juice. However, since 2012 Husk has pioneered a unique expression of Australian cane juice rum on our farm distillery at Tumbulgum. So what do we call our juice rum?

We want our rum to become known to reflect a unique style characterised by our part of the world – our climate, geology, geography, local cane varieties, even our lifestyle and the way we make rum.

So, we call our style of rum Australian Cultivated Rum or ACR for short. You’ll hear a lot more about ACR in the months and years ahead, so stay tuned.

 While both molasses and fresh cane juice can produce exceptional quality sipping rums, there are some key differences.  

To start with, fresh cane juice and molasses look and taste very different, so naturally produce different tasting rums. Both styles begin with the fermentation of the base ingredient before being distilled. However, as Husk Founder Paul Messenger explains, Australian Cultivated Rum is “far more complex.”

“The cane juice itself is full of indigenous yeast strains and bacteria, whereas molasses has gone through an industrial process. It’s gone through the sugar mill, it’s been boiled, and there nothing living in it.  

While it’s much more straightforward to ferment  molasses than it is to ferment cane juice, the trade off is you get a far more complex, vibrant and very agricultural tasting spirit from cane juice.”  

The molasses with its sweet, syrupy and slightly burnt flavour is a stable rum base, and produces a clean, classic and approachable spirit. Once aged molasses rum can develop more complex character. Juice rum is generally more dry, complex and herbaceous. Like molasses rums, cultivated rum can be enjoyed unaged or aged in wood barrels.  

Australian Cultivated Cane Spirit (white rum) like Husk Pure Cane is one of the most full-flavoured spirits out there with grassy, earthy and fruity aromas that reflect its terroir. It’s a product with an expressive aromatic complexity directly connected to its place of production to the point that subtle flavour differences are noticeable in each unique harvest production.  

When matured in small oak casks, aged cultivated rum mellows and picks up new various flavours and aromas such as dried fruit, spices or nuts.  It then becomes a dry, elegant and even more complex spirit comparable to the best cognacs or whiskies out there.

Words by Master Distiller - Quentin Brival.