Rum is a spirit enjoyed around the world.
Rums come from different regions, and each has its own production methods and can be enjoyed in different ways.
To help you choose a rum, here are a few tips to help you learn more about rum and find the right gift for your loved ones.
How is rum made?
Your choice of rum may depend on how it is made.
There are two different categories of rum: agricole rums, made from freshly crushed sugarcane juice, also known as vesou; and so-called “traditional” rums, made from molasses, a byproduct of sugar production.
Next comes fermentation, followed by distillation. Once distilled, the rum is either bottled white or aged in a large vat or oak cask to produce aged rum.
What is the difference between agricole and traditional rum?
Agricole rums, including Bielle, are made from crushed sugarcane juice, or vesou.
For fermentation, the vesou is heated using steam produced by burning the leftover sugarcane. This very precise step defines the rum’s aromatic profile. It lasts from 36 to 48 hours.
For distillation, Bielle uses a Savalle-type column (17 plates, including 3 copper concentration plates). The resulting distillate is around 70 degrees.
All Bielle rums are made from pure sugarcane juice, crushed by hand between mid-February and mid-June, and are proofed with rainwater from Marie-Galante.
Traditional rums are made directly from molasses produced by refining sugarcane. These rums account for 90% of production worldwide.
Three categories of rum
• White rums: White agricole rum is not intended to be consumed on its own. Traditionally, in the French West Indies, it is enjoyed in easy-to-make cocktails such as Ti Punch or Planter’s Punch. White agricole rum is not aged in casks; it is bottled directly.
Bielle White Rum 59% is an agricole rum made by Distillerie Bielle, the last family-owned distillery on Marie-Galante. This excellent white rum is generally enjoyed in a ti-punch.
Its plus: its aromatic intensity, thanks to the unique terroir of Marie-Galante sugarcane and the local rainwater used to make this rum.
Ideal for experienced rum enthusiasts.
Bielle White Rum 40% is an agricole rum with a lower alcohol content. This white rum is better suited to classic cocktails such as the Mojito, Punch, Daiquiri, Mai Tai, and more.
Ideal for people who want to discover rum or enjoy more balanced cocktails.
• Amber rums:
Bielle Amber Rum 44% is an agricole rum aged for several months in oak casks, which gives it its lovely amber color.
On the palate, discover exotic notes with delicate hints of vanilla.
Enjoy neat or on the rocks.
Ideal for beginners and amber rum enthusiasts.
• Aged rums: Aged rums, including Whisper, are most often intended to be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. These are sipping spirits that showcase each distillery’s expertise.
Crafted on the island of Barbados, in the heart of the Caribbean, Whisper is a light rum in the English tradition. It is a blend of rums aged for 5 and 8 years, respectively, in oak casks that previously held whiskey, where Whisper develops its aromas.
Ideal for connoisseurs of English-style rums.
Our Punch
A traditional wintertime drink, punch originated in the Caribbean. While popular legend has it that pirates and other sailors drank rum neat, in reality they diluted it with water and added all kinds of spices and fruits gathered during their travels around the Caribbean. They added a source of sugar and citrus juice to the rum to sweeten it, along with any other ingredients they had on hand.
Whisper Honey Punch is made with molasses rum aged for 2 years in former bourbon casks on its home island of ANTIGUA, with honey added.
Ideal for making hot toddies or cocktails (Daiquiri).
