PRODUCTION LINES OF A RHUM INDUSTRY

Lucie Pieton

• History:

INTRODUCTION

• 2 kinds of Rhum:– The industrial: the alcohol resulting from distillery of

molasses– The agricultural: alcohol obtained by distilling the

fresh, fermented cane juice

PRODUCTION LINE

• reaped during the drying period

• cut into short logs and bundled for transport

• crushed as soon as possible to avoid drying

and deterioration of the sugar

THE CANE CUTTING

• weighed, controlled and discharged.

• millings stages: to separate the cane juice (vesou) from the fibbers (the bagasse)

The bagasse serves as combustion for the furnaces

The vesou is gathered in a drainage system for filtering and pumped on to the fermenting vats

CRUSHING

• Process of transforming the sugars into alcohol :– optimal temperature 30 C°– yeast (private of oxygen)

• 72 hours after…– Cane wine is obtained: moût

(7% of alcohol)– Moût is quickly sent for distillation

THE FERMENTATION

THE DISTILLATIONDefinition: The method consist in heating the wine to vaporize the volatile components, mainly the alcohol, and then to condense them

The column give to the Rhum its own characteristics.

THE AGEING

White Agricultural Rhum :

stored in huge wooden tuns to be "rounded out“ (before bottling)

Spring water is crossed to have the degrees desired for commercialisation (40° to 62°)

Golden agricultural Rhum or amber agricultural Rhum :

stored for at least 12 months in wooden containers.

golden colour: due to its short period spent in an oak tun

THE AGEING

Old, dark or aged agricultural Rhum :

placed in an oak barrel a minimum of

• 3 years for the VO label,

• 4 years for the VSOP label

• up to 6 years for an aged vintage XO label

• Quality control – the sugar cane, sugar levels,– the level of alcohol, colour, or taste,

to maintain the tradition of each factory

CONCLUSION