Rum review: Ron Zacapa Centenario 23

[Capn Jimbo]

Would you agree that the terminology should be defined & improved for clarity's sake, and that certain terms such as cane honey should be dropped? I am also curious to know what you feel about my comment regarding how it seems at least to me that many "official" rum writers do not seem to really properly research their stuff, and accept things often at face value (simply printing the same stuff that is seen in different companies' marketing broschures in their own books also) without further consideration or investigation?

I don't know if "cane honey" should be dropped, but it sure needs to be defined insofar as to how the "honey" is produced, in detail, by the company or author using it. In the world of sugar/rum making the terms syrup, juice, et al mean different things at different times. For example there are probably eight different versions of the term "juice".

"Molasses" is much more defined, and is widely accepted to mean the mother liquor after sucrose/sugar crystals have been removed. Thus, "molasses" always is one of the byproducts of sugar production and removal. If sugar is not captured and removed, it is not molasses. The terms "first", "second" and third "boil" (or "strike") are also well established and result in grades A, B and C (blackstrap) molasses. Food grade molasses is usually a "first boil" product. And all molasses must be processed for purposes of shipment, storage and shelf life.

And I agree too that way too many writers and websites, including the best known one, tend to simply cut and paste and use these terms far too loosely. I am particularly perturbed over one particular use of "syrup" (referring to semi-syrups used by several producers of cane juice rums) with the apparent purpose of denigrating those products as somehow different or inferior to the use of "fresh cane juice".

But this is another subject....

[JaRiMi]

"Molasses" is much more defined, and is widely accepted to mean the mother liquor after sucrose/sugar crystals have been removed. Thus, "molasses" always is one of the byproducts of sugar production and removal.

Yes, but the process starts remarkably similar way as already noted. I wonder if you actually read all the quotes and links I provided - and you never did give the sources for your quoted information? I would still be curious to see the sources, if you don't mind please.

If sugar is not captured and removed, it is not molasses.

Well even the concentrated syrups and juices as seen from the information quoted & linked in my comments vary significantly in way they are produced, and also in their sucrose content (surprise surprise), however going back and forth in this manner leads no further - the truth is out there for all to investigate on their own. As a manufacturer, I can also choose to call my product how I like, and without seeing the production facilities and methods used it seems also pointless to wollow about this in internet discussions any more.

The terms "first", "second" and third "boil" (or "strike") are also well established and result in grades A, B and C (blackstrap) molasses. Food grade molasses is usually a "first boil" product. And all molasses must be processed for purposes of shipment, storage and shelf life.

As you state, food grade molasses can be different from "1st boil" - and also I do maintain that sugar (and cany juice, syrup and molasses) production varies between different plants in different countries, depending on how modern equipment they use, country's set standards etc. The basic idea is of course the very same, but I do think if we visited a number of factories and estates located from USA to Cuba to Trinidad to Venezuela, we would find differences in what they do, how they classify things etc.