{
  "api": "/posts/pot-still-versus-column-still/index.json",
  "collection": "posts",
  "date": "2024-05-30T09:00:00-07:00",
  "description": "The single biggest lever on how a rum tastes, and why blends of the two dominate the category.",
  "draft": false,
  "fields": {
    "author": "Martin Cate",
    "date": "2024-05-30T09:00:00-07:00",
    "description": "The single biggest lever on how a rum tastes, and why blends of the two dominate the category.",
    "draft": false,
    "image": "",
    "lastmod": "2025-01-14T16:45:00-08:00",
    "publishdate": "2024-05-30T09:00:00-07:00",
    "tags": [
      "rum",
      "production",
      "education"
    ],
    "title": "Pot Still Versus Column Still"
  },
  "html": "\u003cp\u003eIf you only learn one thing about rum production, learn this one. Still type\ndoes more to determine character than country, age, or price.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"pot-stills\"\u003ePot stills\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA pot still is a batch process. You fill it, you distill, you empty it, you\nstart again. It\u0026rsquo;s inefficient, slow, and it produces a distillate that carries\nan enormous amount of the fermented wash along with the alcohol — congeners,\nesters, oils, all the heavy compounds that read as flavor.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe result is loud. Jamaican pot still rum is the extreme case: overripe banana,\nvarnish, tropical fruit turned up past the point of subtlety. Rum people call\nthat quality \u003cem\u003ehogo\u003c/em\u003e, from the French \u003cem\u003ehaut goût\u003c/em\u003e. In a cocktail, half an ounce\nof it will announce itself over everything else in the glass.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"column-stills\"\u003eColumn stills\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA column still runs continuously and separates the distillate into fractions\nwith far more precision. You can pull a very clean, very high-proof spirit off\nit. Cuban-style and most Spanish-heritage rums lean on column distillation, and\nthe results are lighter, softer, and more approachable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClean is not the same as boring. A well-made aged column still rum has plenty\ngoing on — it\u0026rsquo;s just that the oak and the base spirit do the talking instead of\nthe fermentation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"blends\"\u003eBlends\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost rum you\u0026rsquo;ll drink is neither purely one nor the other. Blending pot and\ncolumn distillate lets a producer dial in exactly as much intensity as they\nwant: the column component provides structure and drinkability, the pot\ncomponent provides the top notes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is why \u0026ldquo;blended\u0026rdquo; deserves to sit alongside pot and column as its own\ncategory rather than being treated as a compromise. It\u0026rsquo;s a deliberate choice,\nand for a huge number of cocktails it\u0026rsquo;s the correct one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"using-this-behind-the-bar\"\u003eUsing this behind the bar\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA practical rule: if a drink has a lot of competing ingredients — multiple\njuices, several syrups, a spice component — you can afford a loud pot still rum,\nand you probably want one, or the rum will disappear. If a drink is simple and\nrum-forward, a blend or a good column still rum will give you something you can\nactually taste through.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Daiquiri is the test. Three ingredients, nowhere to hide. Make it three\ntimes with three different rums and the entire category will explain itself\nfaster than any amount of reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n",
  "id": "posts/pot-still-versus-column-still",
  "lastmod": "2025-01-14T16:45:00-08:00",
  "markdown": "\nIf you only learn one thing about rum production, learn this one. Still type\ndoes more to determine character than country, age, or price.\n\n## Pot stills\n\nA pot still is a batch process. You fill it, you distill, you empty it, you\nstart again. It's inefficient, slow, and it produces a distillate that carries\nan enormous amount of the fermented wash along with the alcohol — congeners,\nesters, oils, all the heavy compounds that read as flavor.\n\nThe result is loud. Jamaican pot still rum is the extreme case: overripe banana,\nvarnish, tropical fruit turned up past the point of subtlety. Rum people call\nthat quality *hogo*, from the French *haut goût*. In a cocktail, half an ounce\nof it will announce itself over everything else in the glass.\n\n## Column stills\n\nA column still runs continuously and separates the distillate into fractions\nwith far more precision. You can pull a very clean, very high-proof spirit off\nit. Cuban-style and most Spanish-heritage rums lean on column distillation, and\nthe results are lighter, softer, and more approachable.\n\nClean is not the same as boring. A well-made aged column still rum has plenty\ngoing on — it's just that the oak and the base spirit do the talking instead of\nthe fermentation.\n\n## Blends\n\nMost rum you'll drink is neither purely one nor the other. Blending pot and\ncolumn distillate lets a producer dial in exactly as much intensity as they\nwant: the column component provides structure and drinkability, the pot\ncomponent provides the top notes.\n\nThis is why \"blended\" deserves to sit alongside pot and column as its own\ncategory rather than being treated as a compromise. It's a deliberate choice,\nand for a huge number of cocktails it's the correct one.\n\n## Using this behind the bar\n\nA practical rule: if a drink has a lot of competing ingredients — multiple\njuices, several syrups, a spice component — you can afford a loud pot still rum,\nand you probably want one, or the rum will disappear. If a drink is simple and\nrum-forward, a blend or a good column still rum will give you something you can\nactually taste through.\n\nThe Daiquiri is the test. Three ingredients, nowhere to hide. Make it three\ntimes with three different rums and the entire category will explain itself\nfaster than any amount of reading.\n",
  "readingTime": 2,
  "slug": "pot-still-versus-column-still",
  "summary": "If you only learn one thing about rum production, learn this one. Still type does more to determine character than country, age, or price.\nPot stills A pot still is a batch process. You fill it, you distill, you empty it, you start again. It’s inefficient, slow, and it produces a distillate that carries an enormous amount of the fermented wash along with the alcohol — congeners, esters, oils, all the heavy compounds that read as flavor.",
  "title": "Pot Still Versus Column Still",
  "url": "/posts/pot-still-versus-column-still/",
  "weight": 0,
  "wordCount": 388
}