Why is cane juice rum so rare?
Rum made from cane juice only accounts for ~3-4% of the world’s rum production. But why?
There are several reasons which makes cane juice rum more difficult to produce. Rhiannon chatted to our head distiller Quentin and founder Paul to understand why cultivated rum (sometimes known as agricole or juice rum) is far rarer than molasses rum.
Location, location location.
Cultivated rum must be made close to sugar cane fields.
“Cultivated rum (i.e juice rum) needs to be made from sugar cane grown close to the distillery,’ Says Husk Founder & CEO Paul.
“The thing about cane juice is that it doesn’t last - as soon as you cut the cane, it begins to ferment naturally in the stalk.
The juice’s journey from farm to fermenter is frenetic. Once you crush the cane, that’s it. You’ve got to be quick off the paddock, through the mill and into the fermenter. Then you’ve got to adjust some parameters, and add the yeast, all within a few hours.
It’s a complicated process. We’re still experimenting with different yeast strains. You’d have to be pretty crazy to do this!”
2. Patience is Paramount
Any aged spirit takes years to produce. Cultivated rum starts in the paddock, so takes even longer.
"Juice rums like Australian Cultivated Rum are bloody hard and expensive to make!” says Husk Head Distiller, Quentin Brival.
Cane takes 1 year to grow and 2+ years to mature so we have to plan years in advance. Growing, harvesting, and crushing cane costs time and a lot more money than if you purchase ready-made molasses (other base ingredient used to produce rum) from the local sugar mill.
"Fermenting the juice is very challenging, as there’s so much competition from native wild yeasts,” explains Quentin. “The subsequent distillation and maturation must be carried out with extreme care to isolate and concentrate the amazing flavours found in the finished product.”
Australian Cultivated Rum is unadulterated with no added sugar, flavours or spices, which means it must be of exceptional quality and taste fantastic – you can’t add anything to mask the flavours!
3. Seasonality
Your window to make rum is limited. Get in while the going is good.
Because of the seasonality of the sugarcane and the impossibility to preserve the juice, this style of rum can only be made during cane season each year. This means that your production window is restricted, so you have to very carefully forecast your demand each year. Run out of rum in March? Too bad. It also means the Head Distiller needs to carefully decide when to start the harvest, when the cane is “ripe” (sweet and full of flavours) – just like winemakers picking their grape.
So next time you pour a glass of Husk Rum, pause to appreciate the time, timing, patience and craftsmandship that went into creating that tipple - from farm to bottle.