WELCOME TO ANGOSTURA®
The home of the world-renowned ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters and rums
WHEN WERE YOU BORN?
THE ART OF RUM MAKING
Angostura’s rum blending tradition dates back to the mid-1900s and today, the company stands proud of its legacy;
a legacy that has been consistently producing internationally acclaimed and award-winning rums for three quarters of a century.
THE RUM MAKING PROCESS
Angostura’s rum blending tradition dates back to the mid-1900s and today, the company stands proud of its legacy, a legacy that has been consistently producing internationally acclaimed and award-winning rums for three quarts of a century. Take a brief journey ‘behind the scenes’ to learn more about the processes involved in creating the finest blends of rum.
THE RUM MAKING PROCESS
Our exceptional rum-making process creates exotic rum blends that awaken one’s sensory palate
FERMENTATION
Fermentation is an anerobic process that involves the production of alcohol (ethanol) from sugars (glucose). Approximately 60% of the world’s ethanol is produced by the fermentation of sugar-based raw materials: molasses, yeast and nutrients.
MOLASSES
Molasses (a by-product of producing refined sugar from cane) is the main raw material used in the fermentation process at Angostura. This is added to yeast that is propagated from a strain that was created in the 1940s. The fermentation process usually takes between 24-36 hours, although it can be left up to 72 hours.
DISTILLATION
After this process is completed, the fermented ‘wash’, which is between 8% – 8.5% rum, is then placed in the distillation columns and distilled to obtain the various ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ alcohols that are the basis for Angostura’s rums. Angostura uses continuous distillation in column stills to create spirits with alcoholic strengths from 80-95%, each with its own bouquet and flavour potential.
AGING
The clean rum that is drawn off from the still after distillation is stored in Once Used Bourbon American White Oak casks for aging. Aging in oak casks does four things: mellows the rum, purifies it by removing “off” smells, enhances the flavour and aroma, and allows the rum to generate new components that add unique flavour complexity. Both light rum and heavy rum to be used in our blends are put to age.
Once filled, the oak barrels are transferred to several warehouses on the Angostura compound to age for a minimum period of 3 years. Our oldest rum is 15 years. It is the responsibility of a skilled team of craftsmen, known as Coopers, to ensure the oak barrels are properly maintained before, during and after the aging process.
BLENDING
Blending is where the magic behind Angostura rums’ world class taste takes place. In the blending process alone, our rums are tasted and tested at every stage before it is bottled and then tasted and tested again after bottling to assure the highest standards are met in the creation of our rums. The rums in Angostura’s oak casks achieve different levels of maturity when blended according to its recipes, and the Blender’s job is to ensure that the finest quality and consistency is achieved in every batch of rum that is produced.