| The Art of Distillation
From tangled pipe-runs to burning mains, what a fabulous machine it is that gives birth to rum ! Night and day during the production period it is still the same alchemy which is at work in The Isautier Distillery. Through the years, the non-stop distilling columns have in fact replaced the old stills. More sophisticated techniques enable the production of rums with finer and finer aromas. But as no machine willever be able to taste and appreciate rum, it is the skilled work of distillers which serves as a prelude to the success of the final product. |
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| Original cane press. Mechanical mills since 1850 | ||||||||||
| Distillers are the genuine masters of rum, as they are rich in an art passed on from generation to generation and in the know-how collected as hours go by, in the warm den, where the magic takes place and they are able to tame the raw material and “sculpt” its aromas at will. | ||||||||||
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For the elaboration of traditional rum, the process starts with the dilution of molasses, the residue from sugar production, and the addition of fermentation yeasts. Twenty-four hours later a juice is obtained, the strength of which is 5 or 6 degrees of alcohol and is called “wine”. Inside a first distilling main including 21 stacked trays, the liquid temperature is raised to 100 degrees by a steam boiler; alcohol evaporates and goes up to the top trays, while the residual liquid, called vinasse is collected on the lower trays and eliminated. At the end of this stage, the “coolnesses” - practically the evaporated parts - start their cooling and condensation in a second narrower column. That is the time when the distillers make up the flavours at will thanks to a delicate proportioning of the different components. |
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| In the bosom of The Isautier Distillery, the ancient cane crushing mill, dating from 1850, is restored to life every ten years: the mechanical monster revives the ancestral procedure for the production of an agricultural rum of great character.
Every year, some 400,000 litres of traditionnal rum elaborated by Isautier’s distillers, are marketed neat, or given to the SOPAVI for the making of “rhum arrangé”, punches and other liqueurs. Far beyond the technical means which are used, all of them bear the mark of the expert work of The Isautier Company which have concentrated their know-how and love of authentic rum for five generations. |
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| Respect of tradition As time went by, The Isautier Distillery managed to adapt its products to the evolution of taste and consumer habits. Nowadays it offers a wide range of specialities, from the most full-bodied to the fruitiest and always of an equal quality. Some appeal to different kinds of rum according to their ability to improve the taste that is wanted: the “Great Aroma” which, as its name calls to mind, is used as an improver, or the “Light Rum” used for punches. |
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| Some rhums are 20 years old. | ||||||||||
| Old rum control each year | ||||||||||
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Reviving the tradition of maturation in the 1970’s, The Isautier Distillery is the only one marketing rums aged up to 20 years, and Agricultural matured rums, of extremely subtle flavours. Among the rums to be sampled straight or as cocktails, the white Plantation or Agricultural rums can well ravish the strong sensation lovers... As for the “Rhums Arrangés”, punches or liqueurs, they owe their intensity of aromas to the exclusive use of natural plants and fruit. When the art of distilling unites with creativity and taste, it is a whole world of colours and flavours that The Isautier Company invites you to discover : the world of Reunion rum, cordial and shimmering, the very picture of its homeland. |
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| Tasted by Distiller. A great moment | ||||||||||
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