The learning never stops. For several years I’ve endeavored to understand the flavor science and history behind Jamaican rum’s unique hogo. As part of that I’ve visited every Jamaican rum distillery, save one, and documented what I learned. One such article I wrote was perhaps the first to clearly define what dunder is, and differentiate... Continue Reading →
High Ester Rum Production with Vivian Wisdom
This story was originally posted here on Cocktail Wonk. However, to resolve certain technical issues, the background information and slide deck have been moved here. I'm leaving this post here for now, so as to not break any links and preserve comments.
Days of Dunder: Setting the Record Straight on Jamaican Rum’s Mystery Ingredient
Hogo. Funk. The smell of overripe banana. Jamaican rum is uniquely beloved in the spirits world for its powerful, easily identifiable pungent fruitiness. Connoisseurs of Jamaican funk utter phrases like “high ester count” and “long fermentation.” But nothing gets the rum nerd more enthused than talk of “dunder,” the mysterious ingredient that allegedly makes Jamaican... Continue Reading →