Additives in "rum" - Glycerine

JaRiMi · Post by **JaRiMi** » Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:11 pm

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... e#p7299022

An interesting topic here...Additives that rum industry for example uses to improve and "premiumize" products fast & cheap.

Quoting: "Glycerine is a very common additive in the liquor industry. Not bourbon obviously, ttb wouldn't allow that, but it's far from unusual. It add s body and the sweetness reduces the harshness of young spirits. Still Spirits sells little bottles of glycerine labeled "smoothing agent". I don't use it myself but if i don't see how it's very different from adding sugar to fruit flavored liqueurs, it does does the same thing and for the same reason."

This plus sugar, and wow - you've got one "SMOOTH" sweet lovely Hispanic-style super-premium rum to sip and praise. Add to it some essences to emphasize wanted flavours like vanilla, dark fruitiness, some E150 to make it dark, a label where you put the age you FEEL it resembles - and voila! You can sell 3yo rather highly rectified spirit kept in some kind of a cask as a "15yo super-premium rum"

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Fri Jun 26, 2015 6:57 pm

Bingo!

cyril · Post by **cyril** » Sat Jun 27, 2015 4:27 am

im finishing an article about "rum 2.0, the new generation" and i talk about glycerine and other stuff into rums. People has to know they drink this kind of poison

they buy poison and stuff that aint rum anymore, just flavoured neutral alcohol. Just because of a nice looking bottle or a so called master distiller, nothing more than actor actually.

too bad we cant mesure this into rum, im sure there's ton of suprises...

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:04 am

Per Richard Seale (and Moi)...

...the common adulterants are sugar, vanilla extract, unnatural flavorings, glcerol (glycerine) and sherry. It has been rumoured that even a touch of bourbon may find its way in.

All such alteration is illegal, but remarkably are not tested for by the US government, nor enforced. Any rum so altered should legally be labeled "flavored rum" and with the primary flavor identified.

Question to all: will glycerine be picked up by the hydrometer test?

cyril · Post by **cyril** » Sat Jun 27, 2015 7:18 am

i dont think we can find glycerine with simple tests, that would be a good thing tho... but it could be interesting to ask laboratories about it...

i know you can pay for 200/300€ for a Carbon 14 measure, to know with accurency the age of a spirit (between 1955 and 200's areas).

Post by **Capn Jimbo** » Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:09 pm

Per Richard Seales:

"Addition of glycerine will have only a negligible effect on density and will not be discovered via the hydrometer method. It is not difficult to detect via a lab test."

Thanks, my friend.