By Javier Herrera, with Fabien Humbert
I. Sugar cane in Mexico
The imaginary line of the Tropic of Cancer divides Mexico into two climatic and geographical realities. While the north is mainly arid, with dry coastal plains and semi-desert ecosystems, the south is a humid Eden, ideal for growing sugar cane.
In the south, winter climates are cool or non-existent, and the heat is constant. Here, sugar cane flourishes mainly in the tropical regions of Veracruz, Jalisco and Oaxaca. Although the zafra (cane harvest) season runs from January to May, production can continue throughout the year thanks to microclimatic diversity.
It is common for small farmers in isolated mountainous areas to grow cane. These regions are not only crucial for sugar, but each brings a nuance to its cane distillates. The state of the largest cane producer. Its rums are generally high in volume and tradition, taking advantage of the warm climate and fertile soils of the Gulf Coast.
The state of Jalisco, historically linked to sugar and distillate production, although today it is famous for tequila, is home to distilleries with a great ronero (rum producer) heritage. Oaxaca is famous for its mezcals, but is also a hotbed of rustic cane spirits with a strong local character, often produced in small communities.
II. The different types of Mexican rum
Today, the richness of Mexican cane distillate is evident in at least three distinctive categories, beyond ‘standard’ commercial rum.
Fresh juice rum (agricultural style)
This is the avant-garde of artisanal rum. Unlike traditional rums made from molasses (a by-product of sugar), these distillates are produced directly from fresh, unrefined cane juice (guarapo).
This gives them a more vegetal, earthy and vibrant aromatic profile, similar to agricultural rum from the French Caribbean. These rums, often bottled as unaged cane spirit (Blanco), are the treasure of small producers seeking to showcase the purity of the Mexican terroir.
Traditional aged rum
Mexican aged rum follows a similar process to that used in the Caribbean: fermentation of molasses and ageing in oak barrels. However, the country’s climatic conditions (higher altitude and temperature fluctuations) accelerate the interaction between the distillate and the wood, creating more complex flavour profiles in less time.
La Charanda: The Jewel of Michoacán
Charanda, the pure cane juice from Michoacán, has been protected by a designation of origin (DO) since 2003. This status guarantees that charanda can only be produced in certain municipalities of Michoacán from cane juice, molasses or piloncillo (panela) grown at over 1,270 metres above sea level on the region’s mineral-rich volcanic red soil. Charanda must have an alcohol content of between 35% and 55% ABV.
A charanda blanco mixed with a charanda añejo is called a ‘dorado.’ A charanda “reposado” is aged for 2 to 9 months, while a charanda ‘añejo’ requires at least 12 months of maturation. Today, charanda production is threatened with extinction. Fermentation using indigenous yeasts. There are now only half a dozen charanda producers left, compared to more than 100 a century ago.
Read also: Focus Terroir – Mexico, the new frontier for rum?