What is this Solera Rum Aging Process

This is a re post of this article.  

Here is the Solera System at Valera Hermano

The "Solera System" is most prevalent among the Spanish speaking rum producers. This method allows the quick removal of rough edges from the rum than does the single barrel methods. The rum in the bottom tier is the Solera, or the eldest of the rum. All of the rows above are the criadera or the younger rums in the system. The entire stock of the rums in the Solera system is aged at an over proof level and then cut to the proper strength when bottled. It is estimated on average that rum spends 6 years in the solera system, but because the "mother rum" never leaves the system, the age is really difficult to assess.

Refilling the top of the la criadera

How does the system work? As you can see from the picture, the barrels are stacked on their sides in a pyramid like structure that makes up the solera system. At the end of a cycle about 50% of the rum is taken out of the solera (bottom row for bottling) and the rum from the next row up is transferred down to the solera filling the void created when the rum was removed for bottling. Because only half of the rum was removed from the solera, the "mother rum" left behind and the rum transferred down from the criadera blend together and the characteristics of the "mother rum" are quickly transferred to the younger rum and the maturity is attained much quicker that if the rum was aged from scratch in a single barrel. This process is continued all the way to the top of the criadera where new product is added and the cycle begins again.

The solera system represents several years of rum production and is a valuable asset of the company. This is why you see several parallel soleras systems sitting side by side in the bodega. There are many years of aging involved in making great rum, and the solera is a great way to shorten the actual aging of the rums and allowing the rum producer to get the rum to market sooner. Because some of the "mother rum" never leaves the solera, the actual age of the rum can not be published, but the effeciency of the system leaves no doubt that the rum is on a par with rums that have spent much more time in single barrels.

Barrel Proof sitting on the "Solera"

"La Crianza" or the nursery of the "Mother Rum" is where the majority of the aging or toning of the rum takes place as the rum is moved down the system til it finally reaches the bottom row and is allowed to rest with the "mother rum" before removal for bottling. Sipping a barrel proof of the mother rum in a solera is an opportunity that should never be missed. Even at the over proof levels, this rum has a flavor that is almost impossible to describe.

Though some rum experts have described the Solera method of aging rum as "cheating", it does shorten the time necessary to mature the rum and the product is still on a par with many of the older single barrel aged rums. With today's economy, the rum producers need to bring their products to the market sooner, and the solera system allow this without compromising the taste of the rum. ;o)

Angostura: 2011 Rum Grand Master

      Angostura Distilleries has been awarded the 2011 Rum Grand Master in the London award ceremony.      The Spirit Master Series is one of the most respected  blind tasting competition in the world of rum.     The panel is a group of industry experts and trade professionals lead by Dominic Roskrow, editor of The Spirit Business, that are tasked with the job of individually tasting and scoring each entry on their merits.   The collation of the blind tasting scores combined with customer feed back are the determining factors in this competition. of the competition.

Angostura in addition to the Grand Master status for the brand, individual awards for their rums in the three categories was impressive.

White Rum

• Angostura Caribbean Reserva - Gold

Gold Rum up to 7 Years Old

• Angostura Caribbean Rum 7 Year - Mater
• Angostura Caribbean Rum 5 Year - Gold

Premium Rum

• Angostura 1824 - Master
• Angostura 1919 - Gold

This is big for the Trinidad and Tabago distillery and the growth in the fast expanding world market of rum.     The House of Angostura has been granted "Royal Warrants of Appointment to the royal households of Great Britain, Prussia, Spain and Sweden as suppliers of Angostura Aromatic Bitters in the past, and seems to be following in this great tradition with it rums.     These are much sought after rums that go back to the days of World War I when the Angostura 1919 was shared by the Trinidad troops with their allies in the trenches of France.

     Take some time to enjoy one of these super premium rums made by the 2011 Grand Master, Angostura Trinidad & Tobago Caribbean Rum.     ;o)

I'm Back!!!

     Sorry for the short vacation from the keyboard.     I've been on the road to West Plam Beack to pick up a replacement dinghy.     It seem that the air escaped from my old one and it wasn't real useful any more.     We had a great run up on Sunday night, picked up the boat on Monday morning and were home again by 1:30 in the afternoon.    

This is just the Hurricane Hole none of these are my boat.

I've spent all my time since then putting the motor, console etc. in the new boat.     The really good news is that it transported me to the Hurricane Hole at 5:00 pm intime fopr happy hour.     The new boat handles well, and is very comfortable on the water, and by the way it is pretty quick too.     It made it to and from the hole with out incident or problem, not a bad maiden voyage.

Back to a normal blog tomorrow, you know rum and stuff like that.   ;o)   

Sunday Sun-up

Sunday Mornings are not even for the birds, they are dosing off also.    ;o)

Waiting for Season

     This is the slowest week of the year here in Key West, people are home with family and the streets are almost vacant these days.    I kind of reminds me of a old Jimmy Buffett song, "When the Coast is Clear".     I get to spend some time with myself and see this place for what it really means to me.    With the business of the bar, Rum Lab, and the blog I rarely get to spend any time with me to reflect and enjoy what really make me tick.     There is something really special about dropping anchor in a secluded bay and just be.   

     I wonder about myself and why I need to keep so many balls in the air like a circus juggler, but it is what keeps me happy and a live when I have a good direction and a purpose.    Every once in a while I need to slow down and relax for a few days to check on myself and make sure this is really who I am.     Sunday night we are taking a short road trip to Daytona Beach to look a a new tender for the boat.    You'll see a blog tomorrow as usual, but not on Monday.    I'm taking a day off while I'm on the road, but I'll be back on Tuesday and back to my life in Key West.

    Thanks to all of you that follow, it makes this adventure fun when I can share it with my friends.   ;o)

Walkabout in Key West

     I sometimes forget that I really do live in paradise, taking for granted that Key west is one of the gems of tropical world.    Recently I was walking around with my camera shooting some pix for future articles and realized what a great place to live.    From the foot of Duval Street to New Town this island provides more interesting things than any place I've ever been.    

     Returning from two weeks in the Caribbean recently was a real reminder of how warm, friendly, and just plain homey Key West is.    The rest of the Caribbean is a great fun place to visit, but Key West is home.    This little 1 1/2 by 5 mile island boast more history, colorful people, and bars than anyplace anywhere.   The one spot on this earth where land, sea, sun, and moon all get together to showcase all of their finest attributes.      In other words it is really a place for me to lay my head down and call home.

     I really need to just let a few pictures do the rest of the talking for me.   ;o)

Navigating the Sir Francis Drake Channel

     The Sir Francis Drake Channel is the sailing and boating mecca of the British Virgin Islands.     It is the primary water artery to all of the British Virgin Islands.    The channel can be a bit treacherous if she is riled up, but the usual 15 to 20 knot winds keep the waters a bit choppy and the sail boaters happy.     The winter season provides a bit stronger winds, and choppier conditions, but it is all worth the voyage when you arrive at your favorite destination in the BVI.    

     Our day on the Sir Francis Drake Channel was spent in a Nauti Nymph 29 foot Fountain center console power boat.    The Fountain is a perfect boat for the channel, it is long and slender and carves through the waves like butter while still providing a good ride through the 3 plus foot seas.      Leaving from Red Hook St. Thomas our first order of business was to go to Soper's Hole on the West end of Tortola and check in with Customs in the BVI.     Afterwards it was straight into the Sir Francis Drake and heading for Road Town.

     The channel was it's usual choppy self, we navigated through her to Road Town, then continued to the east for Virgin Gorda.    Along the way we saw several of the beautiful islands, Norman, Cooper, and Salt to our south as we navigated the North side of the channel along Tortola's shoreline.    This rugged semi-arid  landscape boasts many beautiful houses on her many cliffs and peaks.    The rapidly changing scenery is what I find the most interesting about the channel, deep blue waters, very unusual volcanic out crops near the shores, and the beautiful breaking waves on the shores.    

     No matter what your destination, the trip up the Sir Francis Drake Channel makes the destination a welcome sight as your arrive from your adventure.    In our case it was the Bitter End Yacht Club and Saba Rock in the North Sound of Virgin Gorda.     Having the right equipment, the desire, and interest in seeing what she is going to throw at you, the channel is a great adventure that you will always remember.    Try it if you have the opportunity, you will never forget the trip, and probably like me never be able to stop talking about it..   ;o)

Atlantico Platino: a Great Mixer

     Yesterday's Rum Lab gave us a chance to enjoy the warmth, smooth flavors, and mixability of Atlantico Platino.     Atlantico Platino combines and plays well with most of the mixes we tried yesterday.    There were a couple of things that it did not particularly blend with, like dry vermouth and pineapple juice in combination.    Atlantico Platino did combine very well with most of the mixes we tried with it.    The warmth and fine taste of the rum came through in all of the cocktails.   

    The Passionate Platino

• 1 1/2 oz. Atlantico Platino
• 1 oz. Passoa Liqueur
• 1 oz. Banana Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Pomegranate Liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Cream of Coconut
• Top-up with Orange Juice

Place all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake until chilled and pour into a Collins glass and garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.

     The Atlantico Platino came across as a really great up scale white rum for your more sophisticated cocktails, daiquiris, or even rumtinis.    I feel that if your tastes require a smoother, more refined tasting white rum, this one could fill the bill.     ;o)

Atlantico Platino in the Rum Lab Today

     Atlantico Platino a new higher end white rum is the subject of the Rum Lab testing today.     This Dominican Republic rum come from a linage of high quality and smooth rums.     It's big brother Atlantico Private Cask is an award winning fine rum and the fact that it was nominated for the Golden Rum Barrel award (New White Rum Category) in London this year indicates that it is also a fine quality rum.

     Today we are going to test the mixability of Atlantico Platino in the Rum Lab and will let you know how the rum fares against the mixers.     It has been the experience that some of these fine rums struggle a bit when mixed, they sometimes clash with what they are mixed with.     This is always a challenge, but worth the time, because when you find what the rum likes the cocktails are absolutely superb.   It is like everything else compatibility is the clue to good cocktails as well as anything else.

     I'll let you know tomorrow how the Rum Lab liked Atlantico Platino.   ;o)
 

Bolongo Bay in St. Thomas

     Bolongo Bay is an interesting area on the southern side of St. Thomas.    It boasts several of the fun spots on the island to eat and party.     Located on the beach at Bolongo Bay, Mim's provides an open air patio dining experience that is hard to beat.       They specialize in coconut curry lobster, baked stuffed lobster, fresh fish and creative pasta dishes.    

We were greeted by Mim DeFreitas and seated promptly in the fabulously romantic seaside patio, the sound of the waves rolling up on the beach and the great lighting just added to the experience.      We were served promptly and graciously, making this one of the most memorable dining experiences of our trip to St. Thomas. 

    After dinner we took a short stroll down the beach to Iggy's where we enjoyed the cocktail mastery of Josh and the great music of Ines and her great band.     Partying at Iggy's was a great capper to our great night on Bolongo Bay.      What a great night walking the  beach, moonlight over the water and great people.      Bolongo Bay is a bit hard to find, but just ask any taxi driver to take you there.      You will enjoy the time of your life dining and partying on Bolongo Bay.   ;o)

Sunday and Rum

Sunday Rum.

Red Hook: Life Surrounded by Water

     Red Hook is one of St. Thomas's wonderland towns, located on the southeast corner of the island,  and full of wonder and surprises.     The Marina is the centerpiece of the town with the ferry that takes you to St. John, the restaurants, bars, and shopping, all in one spot.    The marina is filled with rental boats, privately owned yachts, live-aboard sail boats, and commercial vessels that haul everything from soup to trucks around the islands and ports.

     The colorful cocktail lounges and restaurants provide us with a great overlook  of the marina and a view outward to St. John.     It is easy to just sit and sip a fine rum and get lost in the moment, and stay for hours.     The view and the locals make this a very enjoyable afternoon hangout for the gang of four that just invaded the town.     Fellow rumstylers Mike Streeter (Rum Connection.com), Carl Grooms ( Coastlines and Tanlines.com), My wife Marta, and myself, seemed to be drawn to this place every afternoon.     Whether it be the Island  Time Bar, Duffy's Love Shack, or Molly Malone's, we seemed to manage to get to the docks and have our afternoon cocktails here with out fail.

     It really doesn't matter what you enjoy this place is a very relaxing and has a great vibe that makes you want to stay for hours, even though you know you should be heading back to the condo.

     Get away from the hustle-bustle of Charlotte Amalie and enjoy the laid back fun of Red Hook, you won't be sorry.   Great food, drink, and atmosphere, what more can you ask for?     ;o)

Bartender's Appreciation Day

Lauren at the Hurricane Hole

     All of us get to come in contact with a bartender some time, there are those that you always remember and those that you would love to forget.     Either way they all provide us with some very refreshing and enjoyable cocktails and good conversation from time to time.     Today is the day you get to say thank you for the services they provide you, today is Bartender Appreciation Day.

Paul at the Hurricane Hole

     Lauren, Nicole, Paul, and Nick at the Hurricane Hole here in Key West are the ones that take care of me and my friends on a regular basis and I truly do appreciate their service.     These are fun people that make the day fun for me whenever I arrive there in the evening. 

     Think about your bartender today and take the time to say thank you to them for all that they do for you and the  fun times they provide you when you go tho their bars.     ;o)  

City of Toronto: Caribbean Week December 5-10th

     City of Toronto has proclaimed the week of Dec 5th - 10th as Caribbean week, a week of celebration of the Caribbean's many distinctive sounds, sights, food, culture and rums.     This is an event that brings representatives from Toronto and the Caribbean together for the purpose of sharing their cultures and  promoting mutual tourism and travel.

     Rum and Rhythm is the part of the event dedicated to Caribbean Culture    One of the major plays in the event is Ed Hamilton of Ministry of Rum.     He will share his knowledge of the history and production of the Caribbean's most famous spirit.     Trevor Burnett will also be there to share his mixology techniques showcasing the Caribbean cocktails.     It is also a chance to experience some of the Caribbean's highly honored rums and enjoy some fine cocktails. 

     Sorry that I will not be able to attend this event this year, but it looks like one that would be something to look into for the future.     If you are able this would be a great experience.   ;o)

Great Final Rum Lab for the Book

     Eight of the 20 or so new cocktails worked out very well.     We had the largest turn out of lab mice ever, and all were very helpful in making the decisions for the final cocktails for the new up coming book.     This was a long afternoon into night, but we did finish up the list and enjoyed a Bahama Bob Zombie to celebrate the finishing of the cocktails for the book.    Special thanks to all who have been involved in the Rum Lab experiments during the past year or so, because without the help we would not have such a great list of rum cocktails to work from.

     Here are a couple of the final recipes that we enjoyed testing yesterday afternoon and evening.

     Nassau Cream

• 1/2 oz. Nassau Royal
• 1 oz. Coconut Rum
• 1 1/2 oz. Amaretto
• 1 oz. Creme de Cocoa
• 2 oz. Half and Half

Place all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously, pour into a Collins glass and garnish with fresh ground nutmeg and hard chocolate. 

    Boaters' Delight

• 1 oz. White Rum
• 1/2 oz. Peach Schnapps
• 1/2 oz. Banana Liqueur
• 1/2 oz. Banana Rum
• 2 oz. Pear Juice
• 2 oz. Pineapple Juice

Place all ingredients is a shaker filled with ice and shake lightly, strain into a pint glass filled with ice.   Garnish with a pineapple slice.

     These turned out to be exceptional cocktails in the opinion of the Lab Mice, and ones you might want to try.     Now it is time for me to sit down in front of the computer and get to work assembling and finish the writing of the book.    Still looking to have it on the shelves in March or April of 2012.     ;o)


    Just a short note to Remember today is the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.   
 

Final Rum Lab for the Book

     Today we are having the final Rum Lab for cocktails to put into the book.    We are pulling ideas that are a little off the wall, but lets just see what works and what is a big NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

     I promise a new recipe in the blog tomorrow.    Now it is time to do some recipe idea creation, and get the new ingredients.    Talk to You Tomorrow.  ;o)

The Boat Bar

     Just sitting here wondering what to write about today, a blank stare out over the gulf mostly, when an idea came into my head.     I have one of the better boat bars around,  so lets talk about a boat bar.     What are the real essentials of a good boat bar?    Refrigerator, ice maker, sink and faucet, blender, and a good place to store the spirits, glasses, and shakers.     Next the spirits, Rum, 100 or so will suffice, liqueurs, 20 is adequate, plus a good selection of mixers like fruit juices and sodas.     Throw in a few bar keep tools and you have the means  for a great boat party.

     That reminds me that tomorrow is Rum Lab on the boat, better start to think about who is going to be there and what we will be looking at this week.     Fortunately I'm getting close to having enough really good recipes to get the book put in to a first draft.

     All this talk about a party and a bar is making me thirsty,  so I guess it is time to quit talking about the boat bar and wander back down the dock to it and enjoy the rest of my afternoon off.      Thanks for stopping by, it's time for you to enjoy your time off as well.    Stop by for a cocktail and relax.   ;o)    

Sunday by the Sea

Sunday by the Sea is always a very calming and relaxing experience, enjoy.   ;o)

Sint. Maartin - St. Martin the Smallest Sea Island Divided by Two Nations

    Phillipsburg, St. Maartin ( Dutch Side) where we disembarked from the cruise ship, and started this adventure.     The Dutch side of the island is the more populated side, but the French side is larger in size.    The uneven division of the island according to folklore occurred because the French and the Dutch each chose a person to walk from one end of the island and where the two men met would be the dividing line.    It looks like the Frenchman was a faster walker.    On March 23, 1648 the French and the Dutch struck the Treaty of Concordia, dividing the island permanently.   This island of approximately 75,000 people relies on tourism as it's primary resource for income.    The Dutch through casino's, beaches, jewelery, and exotic drinks from the native Guavaberry Rum based Liquors.     The French side is known for nude beaches, clothes and shopping.   Oh and Princess Juliana International Airport where the planes land just over the head of the sun bathers in the beach.

     For us it was wandering through the narrow streets and down the beautiful beach just watching and enjoying the scenery.    A stop at the Guavaberry Rum Emporium and a tasting of the unusual flavored and aged rums was very enjoyable, but the time walking the town and riding the water taxis really was the fun point for us.

     The bay was filled with interesting vessels including some "America's Cup" sail boats that were available for rides.    The water taxi is a great way to get from the cruise ship port to the town of Phillipsburg, but there are also land taxi's for trips to the French side also. 

All in all a quaint little island that offers a lot of opportunity for fun and frolic.    It is said that the night life there is pretty lively, but when traveling by cruise ship, you are underway at 6 pm.     ;o)