Rum Is Booming But Only Jamaican Classics Have The True Funk

After Hurricane Melissa deed Jamaica past October, rum lovers anxiously awaited news from nan island’s six distilleries. Hampden Estate, successful nan parish of Trelawney to nan north, was correct successful nan hurricane’s path, and nan furious winds deprived its historical buildings of their roofs and nan thenar trees of their fronds. Then came much alarming rumours: nan dunder pits had overflowed.

Dunder pit? This is nan 1 of nan astir unique features of accepted Jamaican rum, a style exemplified by Hampden, which has been successful cognition since 1753. You typically make rum by fermenting molasses and/or sweetener cane juice into an alcoholic “wash”, past distil that into a potent liquor, but section distillers developed respective strategies to oomph up nan flavour. Dunder is nan leftover liquid from nan still, and it’s lobbed into nan adjacent fermentation for its funky notes, a spot for illustration a sourdough starter. At Hampden, they besides usage muck, an outrageously smelly, semi-sentient crockery containing countless billions of yeast bacteria, positive various bits of decomposing, well, stuff. I’m not judge what would hap if you fell in: perchance die, aliases possibly beryllium granted infinite powers, Obelix-style. Then there’s nan fermentation process itself: astir distilleries usage generic business yeasts, which typically person sugars to intoxicant complete a mates of days, but astatine Hampden they harness chaotic yeasts, which tin return weeks. Incidentally, Andrew Hussey, Hampden’s owner, has reported that accumulation is now safe, though nan communities who unrecorded and activity astir nan distillery stay severely affected.

We’ve heard a batch astir nan miraculous powers of fermented foods specified arsenic kimchi and kefir, and I’m not going to dress that Jamaican rum will do thing for your microbiome, but these mini universes of microbes do person miraculous effects connected flavour, giving Jamaican rum its distinctive, bassy funk, aliases hogo. Hampden’s signature 1753 blend, for instance, has rich | tropical fruit, heavy baking aromas, nail varnish, glue, Marmite, leather, spice, animal spirits. Try it neat aliases successful a Kingston negroni, for which it’s subbed successful for nan accustomed gin.

Rum has boomed successful caller years, and really why wouldn’t it? It’s approachable and mixable, little up itself than scotch aliases cognac, and has nan astir absorbing history, too. Alas, however, it is much “spiced rum” that has gained favour pinch British drinkers – a generic, sweetened tone mixed pinch fierce vanilla, overmuch of it fresh only for knocking backmost pre-amputation. Hampden however, exemplifies a invited counter-trend successful nan Caribbean for distilleries to thin connected their ain unique rum-making traditions and nutrient liquids that are arsenic overmuch an look of spot arsenic vino is. That hasn’t ever been a given, acknowledgment to nan vagaries of colonialism and its illegitimate heir, capitalism.

Jamaica is synonymous pinch rum, but for decades astir of its rum was sold successful bulk to exporters and blended and aged successful Europe. However, since it gained a Geographical Indication for rum successful 2016, section producers person been moving difficult to make Jamaican rum Jamaican again. The oldest surviving distillery, Appleton Estate (1749!) was nan first to employment a Jamaican female maestro blender, nan redoubtable Joy Spence, and now ages each of its rums connected nan island, which concentrates those tropical flavours. Then location is Worthy Park successful nan south, wherever they person revived sweetener cane accumulation to make a rum that is genuinely an look of its locale. You could arsenic do acold worse than Wray & Nephew, nan iconic overproof achromatic rum that is acold and distant nan astir celebrated connected nan land itself, and makes an evil daiquiri; 90% of Jamaicans cannot beryllium wrong.

Four Jamaican classics

Hampden Estate 1753 £57.25 (700ml; connected offer) The Whisky Exchange, 46%. An outrageous liquid: for illustration tropical fruit, herb and kerosene put done a subwoofer. Shines done conscionable astir immoderate mixer.

Appleton 8-Year Old Reserve Blend £28 (700ml) Majestic, 43%. One of nan best-value spirits around. Banana, apricot, toffee, funk. Great successful a rum aged fashioned.

Worthy Park Single Estate Reserve £46.95 (700ml) Master of Malt, 45%. Unlike astir rum producers, Worthy Park grows its ain sweetener cane. This is simply a beautiful rum, rich | successful mango, food and tobacco.

Wray & Nephew Overproof £31 (700ml) Tesco, 63%. A existent Jamaican icon, and acold amended than galore much revered spirits. Mix pinch grapefruit soda. A small goes a agelong way.