A newcomer to the crowded market has been the not too long ago opened Rummieclub, which is Amsterdam’s newly opened rum distillery. The Rummieclub distillery is the brainchild of two individuals, Judith de Bie and Martijn Gerrits.
I first met Judith on the UK Rumfest in 2019 and I’ve been ready eagerly for his or her first bottling…..however it wasn’t that simple to get to that time.
Their resolution to start out a rum distillery round 4 years in the past led to 1 main occasion……it meant that they needed to promote their dwelling and transfer to the Bijlmer. Judith gave up her job on the Metropolis of Amsterdam and began working part-time to analysis all issues Rum to make the dream a actuality. After just a few areas didn’t work out, they discovered a constructing within the east facet of Amsterdam in Diemen. They determined to start out a crowdfunding marketing campaign, promoting their first rum bottles to shut the small monetary hole that enabled them to purchase their tools. Because the rental settlement had already been signed, they had been clearly elated that the crowdfunding was profitable. Then the wait began, the construct course of had lots of delays and took far longer than anticipated. Virtually a yr later , and with their front room full of apparatus and barrels they lastly acquired the keys in December 2019.
Since then they’ve been distilling continuous, filling barrels, honing their expertise, experimenting with differing yeast strains, together with some which were homegrown.
Their web site has a wealth of knowledge and will be discovered right here.
It contains loopy ranges of element for the processes behind their merchandise….a few of which I’ll utilise beneath.
As small and trustworthy rum producers, Rummieclub need to be open about their manufacturing course of. The rum class is one the place the principles and processes differ by area and model. Due to this, rum will be very numerous. This variety has a draw back, as a buyer you don’t at all times know what you’re shopping for. Rummieclub want to be generally known as one of many producers that offers all of the items of the puzzle about their rum manufacturing so that you’re totally conscious of what you’re shopping for. All of this brings us onto one in every of their inaugural releases…..Rummieclub Overproof.
Rummieclub Overproof – 58% abv – 0g/l components
Simply have a look at that label! It has no bearing on the bottle contents however I’m very impressed by its vibrancy.
Rummieclub Overproof undergoes an non temperature managed 10 day fermentation in an open topped vessel. The natural molasses sourced from Paraguay was slowly added to the ferment over a number of days. Business yeast (Saccharomyces Cervisiae) was used for this preliminary batch. The resultant +/-8% abv wash is then distilled to 85% abv of their 500 litre Istill. An Istill affords Rummieclub lots of management to make the entire decisions that they need to make, and it will possibly produce an array of differing distillates. It has a chrome steel boiler with a direct heater within the boiler. Rummieclub use copper waffles to extract some undesired compounds. On high of the boiler there’s a packed column with a robotic that opens and closes thecolumn as thay want. It has quite a few temperature probes and totally different valves for the heads, hearts and tails cuts, which they make based mostly on temperature and style. They selected this equipment as a result of it’s vitality environment friendly and provides them the management and choices that they had been searching for.
Following distillation, the Rum is lowered utilizing water that has been by way of a reverse osmosis filter to 58%. From right here it has a resting interval of round two months. 130 bottles of the Overproof had been produced for Batch #1 and I’m bottle #69 (Dudes!). Every launch will see a special native avenue artist design the label utilising the Rummieclub colors. The label for this launch was designed by Munir de Vries and it represents his imaginative and prescient of animals getting drunk on overripe fruits.
Simply forward of my notes, I needed to provide just a little data on the extent of experimentation occurring at Rummieclub…..As talked about earlier, they’re experimenting with homegrown yeast and the subsequent batch of Overproof will utilise their very own yeast taken from raspberries. I requested if this could deliver differing fruity notes or whether or not it was all about how the yeast does its job. Apparently the raspberry yeast provides an nearly rotten fruit or papaya flavour. The homegrown yeast works in a different way to business dry yeast and provides totally different outcomes, they’re additionally lots much less in step with sometimes method decrease yields. Experimentation can also be going down with yeast from blueberries and mint from the backyard, however the raspberry yeast is giving one of the best outcomes thus far. There may be additionally a want to experiment with dunder within the subsequent Overproof.
With all of that stated, what’s it like?
Tasting Notes
Nostril: Initially a light-weight fruity vapour pushed nostril which warps into heat, buttered malt loaf and malted milk biscuits. Its additionally leaning on the creamy, nearly yoghurt-y facet. Because it develops it turns into fruity with the sharpness of cranberries and there merest trace of caramelised pineapple. Spice, pepper and ginger grows as does the aroma of heat, nearly melting plastic.
Mouth: The palate is spice led in the course of the early exchanges with numerous black pepper and ginger juice which appear to morph into raisins, which brings some sweetness. It has one hell of a mouthfeel, very oily and chewy because of the lack of chill filtration. Molasses reveals up and brings a good looking candy and bitter interaction that simply sings. Burning automotive tires and warming molasses spherical issues out with a touch of salty liquorice on the again finish and possibly the merest trace of Horlicks and Maltesers.
In conclusion: Wonderful to assume that that is their first launch such is the standard of the Rum. Its not simply towing the road of the glut of unaged output from new distilleries of late. They’re not messing round. It has a novel profile that reveals how they need to pursue their very own route….and their stage of experimentation has me actually excited to see what they’ll do shifting forwards. I for one can not wait to see what comes subsequent from their unaged output, not to mention their aged stuff. Makes a tasty daiquiri too. Excellent effort!
4 / 5
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