The Fascinating Journey of Rum Manufacturing
Sugar cane is propagated by taking cuttings and burying them in the soil, allowing new plants to grow. Harvesting takes place when the sugar concentration in the stalks is at its highest, just before the cane flowers. The cane is cut at the base, ensuring maximum sugar extraction from the lower stalks. The harvested stalks are then crushed to extract the juice which has a golden hue and rich in natural sugars. The extracted juice must be processed within 36 hours to maintain its quality and prevent spoilage.
Our fermentation process begins as soon as the juice is sluiced into the fermenters to ensure that none of the flavors are lost. This early fermentation allows us to preserve the organic intricacies of each sugarcane. The juice is combined with water and cultured yeast and undergoes fermentation for 24 to 48 hours, resulting in a beer-like 'wash' with an alcohol by volume (Abv) of about 7%.
During fermentation, the yeast consumes the sugar present in the juice, converting it into alcohol. It also triggers reactions in the wash, leading to the formation of flavorful compounds known as congeners, including aldehydes, esters, and acids. The type of yeast used and the fermentation temperature influence the creation of these compounds. The rate of fermentation and the alcohol level produced are influenced by the concentration of non-sugar dissolved solids, primarily minerals and potassium chloride. Higher concentrations of these substances can inhibit yeast growth.
The process begins by charging the still with the wash and applying heat to bring it to a boil. Initially, the undesirable compounds, known as “tails” and "heads," are given off and set aside. The low wines obtained from wash distillation are at about 17.2% Abv and it takes around 13 to 14 hours for wash distillation to complete.
The low wines are then distilled in spirit still along with heads and tails of the previous batch and the spirit distillation takes about 16 to 17 hours for completion. The final spirit obtained has an Abv of around 66.2%.
After distillation, the pure cane juice spirit is transferred to oak wood casks for a mellowing period lasting from 3 to 12 years. This time allows the rum to develop its desired flavor and texture.
All the flavors in our cane juice rum are completely natural. We use nothing but pure sugarcane juice in the process. As a result, the color, flavor, and aroma of our cane juice rum remain unaltered, reflecting the authentic essence of the Indian sugarcane and the soil, water, weather encompassing our terroir.
Camikara undergoes aging process in American oak casks previously used for aging American Whisky(bourbon) to enhance the characters and flavor profile.
The weather is bone dry for 10 months at Indri, Haryana where our distillery is located hence the aging process yields distinct results compared to traditional aging in places like Scotland. Each year of aging, with the oak's wide-open pores, allows the rum to deeply penetrate the wood, equivalent to three years of aging in a cold warehouse where the pores are more closed.
In our hotter climates, evaporation losses are more significant, ranging from around 10% to 12% per year compared to 2% to 3% in Scotland and it contributes to an equal loss of both alcohol and water, resulting in a fairly consistent strength despite the volume reduction.
The blending stage is the final step in shaping the character of our rum and this crucial process ensures balance and consistency of flavor profile. We carefully blend multiple rums of varying ages to enhance the overall flavor and character however some of the younger rums can have aged spirits much older than mentioned on the label to bring to the conclusion and greater bouquet of flavours.
The age statement on our bottles accurately reflects the age of the youngest rum in the blend. Before bottling, the blended rums are allowed to marry in tanks, providing an opportunity for the distinct flavors and bouquets of each rum in the blend to meld together. This process allows for a seamless fusion of flavors, resulting in a truly exceptional drinking experience.