It all starts with lush, green fields of high quality sugar cane like the ones grown across the rolling fields of Barbados. Harvesting takes place every year between February and June. After cutting, the sugar cane is crushed to extract the juice, which then goes through a carefully controlled boiling and centrifuging process to produce molasses and sugar. Molasses is the raw material that is used to make rum.
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The molasses is then transported from the sugar factory to the distillery where the first stage in the making of Cockspur Rum occurs. Water, from natural underground springs at the distillery in Spring Garden, is added to the molasses along with a special natural culture of yeast that was specially developed and propagated by Cockspur. Both the water and the yeast have a significant impact on the taste profile of the rum. The mixture is then allowed to ferment for about 48 hours, where the sugars are converted into alcohol. Once the fermentation has finished, the “must” which has been produced is now ready for distillation.
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There are two methods of rum distillation: “Continuous” distillation or “Batch” distillation. Continuous still rum is distilled by a column still, and produces rum that is very light in flavour and body. Using copper pot stills, batch distillation is a longer process using smaller batches of "must". The process is conducted two times producing a double distillate rum that is more intense and robust than the single distillate. Pot still rums are full of aroma and flavour. Each pot still produces it’s own unique flavour profile, and can be identified as the “heart” of the rum. This is what truly distinguishes it from the competition.
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All rum is clear (colourless), when distilled. To produce a truly great golden rum, the most important part of the process must now begin. Cockspur’s “Master Blender” oversees the transfer of the distillate into American oak barrels, which have been used previously in the aging of American bourbon. The barrels arrive broken down from the USA in bundles and a team of coopers will then rebuild them for use in aging our rum. The rum is stored for many years, the age depending on the type of blend it is used for. In our aging bonds at the West Indies Rum Distillery, there are thousands of barrels in reserve at any one time, slowly mellowing the rum until our “Master Blender” is ready to use it in a blend of Cockspur rum.
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Once the rum has reached it’s maturity, which can only be determined by our Master Blender, it is then ready to become a blend of Cockspur Rum. At this point the matured single and double distilled rums, from different ages, are blended together to make the various products in the Cockspur range. For example Cockspur Five Star will have rum no less than 3 years, Old Gold no less than 5 years and V.S.O.R.-8 years and over. All Cockspur rums use both continuous and pot still rums in their blends. The specific quantity of each used is determined by blends created many years ago by our founder, and passed on from one “Master Blender” to another through the years. Each blend is left to marry for a few days, after which pure water is added to reduce the rum to bottling strength (37% - 43% depending on the country it is being produced for). Cockspur rums can only be bottled once the blend has undergone organoleptic testing in our lab under the watchful eye of our Master Blender. This ensures that Cockspur’s high, consistent quality is always maintained.
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The combination of distilling, aging and blending are based on 119 years of skill and expertise, which determines the superior quality of the brand, and has earned Cockspur Rum many gold awards at international wine and spirits competitions worldwide.
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