While drinks containing rum used to be associated primarily with headaches, the spirit is now increasingly becoming known as a sophisticated beverage.
Did you know that traditional rum is actually made from sugarcane by-products? It is distilled from the molasses that are left over once the sugar and sugarcane juice have been extracted. The molasses are fermented and then distilled.
In recent years, another type of rum has emerged known as rum agricole. Unlike traditional rum, this style of rum is distilled from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice rather than molasses. As the name suggests, rum agricole is closely linked to agriculture and the raw material comes straight from the field.
Switzerland has now also started making its own rum. Only it can’t be labelled as such. “Only a distillate made from sugarcane can be labelled as rum”, explains distiller Urs Lüthy from Muhen AG. For this reason he has called his Swiss rum “andersRum” (other rum). It is distilled from molasses and thickened sugar beet juice.
Molasses are also a by-product of local sugar production from sugar beet. “It is still very sweet, but the sugar contained in the mass is no longer crystalline”, says Lüthy. He ferments the molasses in alcohol, then distils the mash and leaves the distillate to age in wine casks obtained from local vintners.
Lüthy is known for his local, high-quality distillates. Not only does he distil his own whiskey, he grows the grain himself and malts it on his own farm. He loves to drink both whiskey and rum. Lüthy says: “Rum widens our product range and its fruitiness brings a different note to the glass than whiskey, for example”.
If you would like to order rum or whiskey from the Lüthy distillery, simply e-mail: info@brennerei-luethy.ch
(A bottle of “andersRum” costs CHF 47 plus CHF 11 for postage and packaging)