Ok, good natured argument about doctored rums. The rum in question is Ron Zacapa.
Here is what the Wiki says....
Zacapa is aged at a high altitude where the temperature and oxygen concentration are low, which slows down the aging process to allow more time for aromas and flavors to combine. Zacapa 23, the key variant of the family portfolio, is a blend of rums aged between 6 and 23 years using the solera system. Older and younger rums are blended as they age in a sequence of barrels that previously stored American whiskeys, sherries and Pedro Ximenez wines. Zacapa 23 is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume.Zacapa rums are not heavily sweetened, at the end of the aging and blending process, these rums have between 20gr/L & 23gr/L of residual sugar; mainly fructose and glucose. Zacapa does not add any granulated sugar or sugar syrup at any point in time to any of its Rums.
I am calling bullshit on this. Am I right?
In an argument with a coworker...need your help please.
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edgarallanpoe
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Blade Rummer
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Yes, you are right.
I'm guessing that a Zacapa rep wrote up that Wikipedia entry...
The idea of "Residual sugars" is not based in reality. Sugar simply does not pass thru the distillation process. The sweetness experienced with unadulterated spirits is due to our perception of the alcohol and some of the wood extractives and not to the presence of sucrose, fructose, etc...
The explanation in the entry makes me think that Zacapa distills the sugar cane, then adds in fruit (they mention fructose) to the distillate either before or during barrel aging. This could well be what is happening and may actually be a common practice, as some rums that are sweetened also have unusual fruit notes.
I'm guessing that a Zacapa rep wrote up that Wikipedia entry...
The idea of "Residual sugars" is not based in reality. Sugar simply does not pass thru the distillation process. The sweetness experienced with unadulterated spirits is due to our perception of the alcohol and some of the wood extractives and not to the presence of sucrose, fructose, etc...
The explanation in the entry makes me think that Zacapa distills the sugar cane, then adds in fruit (they mention fructose) to the distillate either before or during barrel aging. This could well be what is happening and may actually be a common practice, as some rums that are sweetened also have unusual fruit notes.
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Capn Jimbo
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I largely agree.
In my opinion the entry was likely done by Zacapa or one who purports to (fail to) defend them. Here's the deal. Blade is entirely correct in stating that sugar CANNOT pass through distillation - any sugar or solids in the wash remain there, while the captured alcohols pass and are condensed.
If there is 23 grams of any sugar - sucrose (simple sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar) - that sugar has to be added. There is not other way. Richard Seale points out that during aging, it is possible for some wood solids to transfer to the aging rum - in his experience up to say 2 grams.
ALKO tests thus consider any result from 0-3g as indicative of no or very, very little actual sugar. Other tests indicate that wood extracted solids account for only 1 gram in the tests. Furthermore, Cyril did arrange for some lab tests that showed that Zacapa - which used to show levels of simple sugar (sucrose) of around 41 grams, now instead has been tested at around 23 grams of "fructose".
The difference?
Fructose is perceived as much "sweeter" than sucrose; thus it takes less fructose to achieve the same altered sweetness as formerly provided by hidden added sucrose sugar.
The effects of this substitution were revealed here:
http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopi ... ose+zacapa
Flat Ass Bottom Line
1. There is no such thing as "residual sugar" either from distillation or from the wood.
2. The substitution of fructose for sucrose is meaningless; it only allows them to claim their is less "sugar" in the product on the basis that buyers are stupid and will confuse more sucrose with less fructose, when in fact the product is just as syrupy sweet as it always was.
In my opinion the entry was likely done by Zacapa or one who purports to (fail to) defend them. Here's the deal. Blade is entirely correct in stating that sugar CANNOT pass through distillation - any sugar or solids in the wash remain there, while the captured alcohols pass and are condensed.
If there is 23 grams of any sugar - sucrose (simple sugar) or fructose (fruit sugar) - that sugar has to be added. There is not other way. Richard Seale points out that during aging, it is possible for some wood solids to transfer to the aging rum - in his experience up to say 2 grams.
ALKO tests thus consider any result from 0-3g as indicative of no or very, very little actual sugar. Other tests indicate that wood extracted solids account for only 1 gram in the tests. Furthermore, Cyril did arrange for some lab tests that showed that Zacapa - which used to show levels of simple sugar (sucrose) of around 41 grams, now instead has been tested at around 23 grams of "fructose".
The difference?
Fructose is perceived as much "sweeter" than sucrose; thus it takes less fructose to achieve the same altered sweetness as formerly provided by hidden added sucrose sugar.
The effects of this substitution were revealed here:
http://rumproject.com/rumforum/viewtopi ... ose+zacapa
Flat Ass Bottom Line
1. There is no such thing as "residual sugar" either from distillation or from the wood.
2. The substitution of fructose for sucrose is meaningless; it only allows them to claim their is less "sugar" in the product on the basis that buyers are stupid and will confuse more sucrose with less fructose, when in fact the product is just as syrupy sweet as it always was.
