The "Solera Method" - common in the production of certain wines (especially Sherry) and vinegar - came to be known in the wild and wacky world of rum some years ago, promoted primarily by marques such as Zacapa, Botran, Matusalem and the "new" Atlantico, among others. The primary pitch is something like "...our Solera method continues to slowly age rum from barrel to barrel, until the final barrel represents a unique combination of rums of different ages". Sounds great, doesn't it?
Sure. Let's take an example, Ron Atlantico, the new-old kid on the block:
Sound lovely, but we really ought to think about this. Atlantico "selects" some "small batch aged" rums. Do they mean the rums were batch produced? As by pot still (a batch process)? Or is "batch aged" simply made up? I'm going with the latter; I've never heard of "batch aging" as opposed to what? Continuous aging? Hmmm. All we know so far is that we have some rum that has been aged for an unknown period.Our 3rd generation master blender has developed a unique process for the creation of Atlantico. It begins with the selection of the finest small batch aged Rums from the Dominican Republic.
Once we have selected the individual Rums, we blend them together to create something truly unique. We then take an additional step and age the blend yet again (private cask), which results in a mellower, more complex Rum.
From the private casks, we place the Rums in another set of barrels for 15 to 25 years. This third aging uses the solera method most commonly used with Sherry production which guarantees a consistently balanced Rum. Only when we feel the Rum has reached its perfect state do we remove it from the barrels and bottle it by hand.
Let's continue.
Now they "blend" these selected aged rums, and age 'em again, this time in "private casks"? This is their way of saying they are, uh, aged in, uh, casks. All we know at this point is that now we have a blend of rums of unknown age, which is further aged for yet another unknown period of time. To provide a "mellower, complex flavor".
OK.
But Atlantico is not done. Now there is a third "Solera" aging for "15 to 25 years". This is where it get's murky. We know, or ought to, that the "hand bottled" product is drawn from the last barrel in the Solera, usually (but not always) annually. Now here is where it gets downright mysterioso. When Atlantico states a range of "15 to 25 years", we are left without guidance. True Solera age is generally given as an average age, and/or perhaps the oldest rum in the mix. So in this case I'm forced to assume that they are considering the entire process - the initial aging, the blended aging - and - their version of Solera aging.
But first a bit about the true Solera process.
The true Solera process involves a series of aging barrels, say four, and an aging/removal schedule, say annual, and the periodic removal amount, say half a barrel. The Solera is born when all four barrels are filled at the same time. After the first year, a half barrel of product is removed from the last barrel. This amount is replaced from the third barrel, which is topped from the second barrel, which is - yup - topped from the first barrel. New rum is then added to the first barrel.
And so it goes.
Without publishing a spreadsheet, what will then happen over 20 years will be that the last barrel will contain the same rum, but with different amounts of from age 4 yrs to age 20 years. The average age of the final product, based on volume and after those 20 years, will approach 8 yrs. The oldest rum in the mix will then be 20 years, and will continue to age. Furthermore, a true Solera system is exponential. For every 1/2 barrel of final product, you need 4 barrels. This, friends, is 8-to-1, and represents a huge investment in cooperage. And that doesn't even address major losses of the angel's share. Not a big deal?
Wrong.
Let's say you age a rum (or blend) in a single barrel, non-Solera system, for say a loss of 10% of that barrel. Now consider a four barrel Solera system - each of the four barrels would lose 10%, for a total loss of 40% compared to the single barrel aging. Now although I'm sure the relative loss is not likely to be that extreme, it will still be very, very substantial. And don't forget you are tying up 75% of your inventory, even for this small Solera!
Solera is very expensive.
Furthermore, no distiller who wishes to remain both profitable and competitive can afford to incur costs much beyond the rest of the marketplace. Accordingly, I have some justified skepticism when I hear the Solera marketing claims. Let's reconsider Atlantico (or Zacapa) in this light.
Atlantico makes much of their triple aging - intial aging, blended aging, and Solera aging. So impressive, yes? I think not. Notice they avoid stating ages, except for what seems to be an overall range. Here's what I'd guess:
The intial and blended aging is substantial. The Solera portion is notably less so, perhaps using fewer barrels, shorter intervals and larger bottlings. Perhaps the Solera portion is intended more for marketing and promotion. And without stating the specifics, only Atlantico knows the reality. One thing for sure...
It's not what I'd consider true Solera. And until the distillers fess up and openly discuss their version of "Solera" we will never know. Here's the myth I would like to destroy, something like "...expensive Solera aging produces more complex fine rums". Does it?
Maybe. I'll conclude with these:
1. The quality of a true Solera is entirely dependent on the quality and potential of the distillate. No amount or type of aging can really fix up a bad rum.
2. A true Solera is a very long, expensive and committed process. If at a point the final bottling starts to head south, there really is no easy fix. Changing the first barrel will have no effect for some years, and even then the change may not be desired. Another option is to start a whole new Solera. The last is the perhaps the most likely, and that is to simply blend the defective Solera with another rum(s) to correct it - an altered Solera product.
3. "Solera" - unless fully described by the distiller, is meaningless. It is a true Solera or just a finishing ploy? How many barrels, at what frequency and with what bottling amount? Any age statements must be considered with genuine skepticism. Not one of the Solera rums provides this information. And even if they did, so what! The fact of a rum being a Solera does not make it more likely to be a better rum. Indeed, the opposite may be true.
4. The real truth is that while Solera may work for Sherry and vinegar, or for rum marketing purposes - nothing, but nothing - can replace the art of hand blending by a skilled artisan master distiller. No two distillations, barrels or agings are completely alike. It is only the master distiller who can draw from his palette of thousands of barrels to create wonderful (and relatively reliable) products. Think Jerry Edwards, Joy Spense and Richard Seale.
The next time a rhum snob condescends to you with "...try this one, it's a Solera!", just grab your crotch and say "Solera? Solera this! It's 50 years old...".
