Two rum products from Taiwan took the top Grand Gold prize at the Vinalies Internationales in France earlier this month. The winning rums were the result of a joint research project by Taiwan Sugar Research Institute and National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism (NKUHT) to produce rhum agricole, a style of rum made from sugarcane juice rather than molasses.
Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar) chairman Wu Ming-chang (吳明昌) said winning gold at the event has put a spotlight on Taiwanese rum.
The nation now has a prominent place in rhum agricole production and Taiwanese distilleries have a firmer foothold in local and global markets, he said.
Photo courtesy of the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism
The rums were made from the juice of a sugarcane variety developed in Taiwan called ROC24, which is known for its native wild cane DNA. It was cultivated at Taisugar’s Shanhua Sugar Factory in Tainan’s Liuying Plantation (柳營農場), Wu said.
The “Rhum Agricole Pur Jus de Canne de Formose Coeur de chauffe Ambre Hors d’Age” and the “Rhum Agricole Pur Jus de Canne de Formose Coeur de Chauffe Hors d’Age” were double matured in wood barrels at the Shu-Sheug Leisure Domaine in Taichung.
“The distillation and maturation process had to overcome Taiwan’s hot and humid weather. To prevent oxidation and discoloration, we fermented the sugarcane juice at a low temperature. Then we used our special techniques to distill the rum base and stored it for four years in oak barrels made by NKUHT lecturer Chen Chien-hao (陳千浩) and the Shu-Sheug Leisure Domain,” Wu said.
The result is a rum with an aroma of fresh sugarcane juice, distinct sweetness and smoothness, Wu said.
Chen said that it was not easy to reach such high quality in just four years.
The process must start with high-quality sugarcane juice, undergo distillation using special techniques, and requires a good environment and the right conditions, he said.
“Only then can we produce the honest-to-goodness original aroma, sweetness and flavor of rhum agricole,” Chen said.
Taiwan’s unique brewing culture has been lost for more than eight decades, since the then-Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime implemented the system of alcohol and tobacco monopoly board after World War II, he said.
Distillery and alcohol production only became available to the private sector in recent decades, he added.
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