Have any of you thought how many different drinks exist on planet Earth? Probably not. Because to make an accurate calculation is almost impossible. But on the other hand, statistics are known that 30% of the total amount is alcoholic drinks. They are distinguished by taste, alcohol content, and cooking technology. It is difficult to answer the question of which is better - rum or whiskey, vodka or brandy, because people have different tastes, and it all depends on each individual’s preferences.
What alcohol is made of
Alcohol is made from various raw materials - corn, potatoes, barley, millet, rye, etc. and is used to make strong alcoholic drinks. The climatic conditions of a country affect the cultivation of various crops, and therefore their processing. So, in Jamaica sugarcane grows well, from which it turns out an excellent pirate drink, rum, and Scotland is famous for barley crops, from which, in turn, they make whiskey. What is the difference between whiskey and rum, and which drink should I prefer?
Whiskey or whiskey
Whiskey is an alcoholic beverage with a strength of 40 to 70%, which is produced from various types of crops in the process of malting, distillation and brewing in oak barrels. They translate the word whiskey (English) as "living water". The color of whiskey directly depends on the raw materials used for processing. It comes in all shades of brown - from light amber to dark saturated.
Cooking technology
To answer the question, which is better - rum or whiskey, first you need to understand the cooking technology and the characteristics of each drink. So, the stages of making whiskey:
- Grain preparation. At the first stage, barley malt is prepared. To do this, you need to sort out the grain, dry it, then wet it and let it germinate. This takes up to 10 days. Germinated barley is dried again.
- Cooking wort. The dried grain (wort) is ground into flour (Grist) and diluted with hot water. The resulting mass is insisted 10-12 hours for the formation of Wort - a sweet liquid mass.
- Fermentation stage. Yeast is thrown into the chilled wort and left for two days for fermentation. The temperature of the medium should not be higher than 37 ° C. As a result, a low-alcoholic beverage of about 5% strength resembles beer.
- Stage distillation. The resulting liquid is distilled at least twice in distillation apparatus made of copper. After the first distillation, the so-called weak wine with a strength of up to 30% appears. And only after the second time they get an alcoholic drink up to 70% of the fortress.
- Exposure Semi-finished whiskey is poured into oak barrels. An additional quality mark is bottling in sherry barrels. Since they are not always enough, American bourbon barrels are also used. At this stage, whiskey acquires a characteristic color and flavor. Withstand the drink for at least 3 years.
- The only thing left is to bottle it. Before this, the drink is filtered and diluted with purified water to bring the whiskey to the desired strength. Sometimes, after aging, the malt drink is mixed with grain, resulting in whiskey with different flavor notes. This completes the production process of whiskey. Drink this drink chilled. To do this, add special stones for whiskey or ice.
There are three main varieties of whiskey, depending on the territory in which it was produced: Scottish, Irish and American.
Scotch tape
Scottish whiskey, also called scotch tape, differs from all other species in the presence of smoke aroma. This is due to the fact that the Scots use the so-called smoked grain - malt, dried on the smoke from the combustion of peat, beech chips and coal. The result is a unique shade and aroma.
Irish Whiskey
Irish whiskey (whiskey) is characterized by softer and lighter taste and not so pronounced aroma. Thanks to the law passed in Ireland on three-time distillation (in Scotland it is allowed to double), whiskey is obtained more pure, but less saturated in taste.
American bourbon
American whiskey - bourbon - is distinguished by the use of corn (at least 51%) and rye instead of barley malt during distillation. The Americans greatly simplified the process of distillation of alcohol, removing the stage of malting. The lack of quality that Irish whiskey possesses has been replaced by Americans with rich flavors and color saturation. A new cooking technology was developed that included burning oak barrels from the inside. After aging whiskey in such barrels, the drink was enriched with a beautiful golden hue and a sweetish flavor.
How to make rum
Rum is a strong alcoholic drink obtained by fermentation and distillation of product residues from the production of sugar from sugar cane. The strength of the drink is up to 60%. Translated from English, rum means "excitement, noise."
We begin the comparison of rum and whiskey with the technology of making the now pirate drink. As mentioned above, rum is produced from sugarcane. The stem of the plant contains the product from which sugar is produced. Molasses and other products formed during the processing of cane are used to make an alcoholic beverage. Stages of preparation:
- Fermentation. Yeast, a small amount of the substance from the previous fermentation, as well as oily bacteria are added to the sugar waste. Insist at the right temperature.
- Distillation. It is difficult to understand what is better - rum or whiskey, since both products today are high-quality strong alcoholic drinks. As in the case of whiskey, mash is distilled at least two times. Only at this stage add a variety of spices and herbs (cinnamon, citrus, etc.). The result is a unique drink with a special taste.
- Exposure Rum at this stage is poured into barrels for further infusion. Depending on the brand of the manufacturer, barrels of different species of wood are chosen. To obtain white rum, it is kept in a metal bowl. The minimum aging period is 2 years.
- After infusion, rum is obtained with a strength of about 60%. Purified water is added to it to obtain a 50% strength and bottled. But here they use the blending process. Only not different varieties of rum are mixed (as with whiskey), but various flavor additives are added to it - essential oils, acetic acid, sugar or water in certain proportions. Rum is drunk chilled, adding ice or stones for whiskey.
For a long time, rum was considered a low-quality drink, since it was mainly consumed by workers from reed plantations and poor people. But in the mid-19th century, the Royal Chamber of Spain announced a reward for ennoblement of Roma. The most prominent was Don Facundino Bacardi Masso, who later founded the Bakkardi trademark for the production of high-quality clarified rum.
Which is better - rum or whiskey?
As we can see, both alcoholic beverages have many similarities in cooking technology. If we talk about the fact that it is stronger, rum or whiskey, then one and the other drink have almost the same strength - from 40 to 80%, depending on the brand and aging method. Drink them chilled. Use special glasses for rum and whiskey.
True, real gourmets prefer glasses with thin glass to warm the drink in their hands. Thus, they believe that one can better experience all the richness of taste.
Drinking rum or whiskey is a matter of taste for each individual gourmet or lover of elite drinks. The main thing in this matter is not to overdo it, but to adhere to the golden mean. Moderation should be in everything.