Origins of Chinese Rum – Worlds oldest ??
The notion of rum originating from China might seem improbable, but it is deeply rooted in ancient traditions.
Ba Gui, the ancient name for the southernmost part of China, now known as the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, derives from the abundant Osmanthus and Cassia trees in the historic capital, Guilin. Here, sugarcane has been cultivated and processed since at least 647 AD.
Terroir
China is actually one of the origins of the earliest known varieties of sugarcane, “Saccharum Sinense,” which may have been introduced to southern China between 13,500 and 8,200 BC. Initial refining methods included grinding or pounding the cane to extract juice, then boiling down or sun-drying the juice to produce sugary solids resembling gravel, sometimes referred to as stone sugar.
Following diplomatic efforts by the renowned Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who inspired the narrative “Journey to the West,” the Indian King Harsha sent envoys during the Tang Dynasty to teach improved sugarcane cultivation methods. This led to the establishment of the region’s first sugarcane cultivation in the seventh century, with documented missions to India in 641 AD and 647 AD for acquiring advanced sugar-refining technology.
Li Bai, also known as Li Po, was arguably the greatest poet of China’s Tang dynasty, 8th century. An accomplished martial artist and academic genius, Li Bai was also a great lover of alcohol beverages. With the most famous poem ” Drinking Alone Beneath The Moon”
Sugarcane juice was used very early for fermenting a type of “wine” along with fruits to produce alcoholic beverages. Given that distillation was known in China as early as 800 BC, it is plausible that early forms of rum existed in China long ago. Although sorghum and rice were more commonly used, people have always utilized available resources to create desired alcoholic beverages.
Sugarcane cultivation in China is primarily in Guangxi province, and it can be said that the sugarcane grown here is indeed the direct descendant of the first “wild” Saccharum Sinense.Sugarcane is a significant commercial crop that has been hybridized numerous times, leading to doubts about the existence of any pure strain of Saccharum Sinense in China today.
Approximately 80 percent of China’s sugarcane crops are grown in the south and southwest, specifically in the Guangxi, Guangdong, and Yunnan provinces, with an annual production of about 100 million tons of sugar. The sugarcane used for my rum, sourced from the best crops in Guangxi province near our factory in Chongzuo, is considered a direct descendant of the first primitive Saccharum Sinense plant.
Some well-known brands of Baijiu (Chinese mold vodka) are produced using the same original raw sugarcane distillates we utilize, which are created by a large, government-controlled column distillery. I further process and age these distillates for many years to achieve a well-balanced and high-quality blend.
San Bart´s Rum
Additionally, some of our products incorporate pot-distilled aroma spirits that I personally make. Our product is a blend of various ages, dating back to our beginnings in 2008, which I use to achieve the optimal balance. San Bart’s Rum has been awarded double gold in major international competitions.
Since 2008, the Swedish Einarsson family has been instrumental in integrating modern European technology with local expertise and raw materials.
Our rum’s taste is appreciated by customers worldwide, including at international food fairs, and even by consumers from traditional rum-producing countries such as the Dominican Republic, Barbados, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, and Australia. Japanese, North Americans, and Europeans also highly value San Bart’s Rum for its exceptionally soft and smooth profile, alongside its rich flavor.
