Solera aging

Attention me Hearties ! In this blog post, we'll briefly discuss the Solera aging system. It's a widely used Spanish-style system that leads a bit of a double life: it's considered both qualitative and controversial. I'm happy to give you an overview.

How it works

Solera aging is a system that originated in Jerez, Spain. Its roots lie in the aging of sherry and brandy. The system is based on perpetual blending.

The system involves stacking barrels of varying ages, with the oldest barrels placed at the bottom (Sol), and the barrels above them progressively younger, until the youngest barrels are at the very top. The stacking is usually done in a pyramid shape, as shown in the diagram below.

When bottling, a blend is always created using a limited percentage of the lower barrels (Solera). The portion drawn from these barrels is then replenished with the barrels above them (1st Criadera), which in turn are replenished with the barrels above them (2nd Criadera) to the upper barrels (Sobretablas), which in turn are topped up with new liquor. Some systems are fed by connections between the barrels, while others are manually transferred.

A system with a permanent connection consistently extracts the maximum aging yield from the barrels by keeping them completely full. The upper barrels then automatically replenish the Angel's Share, meaning the upper barrels simply need to be topped off regularly.

The advantage of a Solera system is therefore clear: you get an automatic flow of different barrels of different ages, maximizing the use of the barrels. The system also allows for the retention of very old liquor in some of the barrels. In the sherry world, there are Solera systems that are over 100 years old.

These advantages result in a great deal of smoothness and a very distinct flavor of the wood used. It is precisely this smoothness that has made Solera so immensely popular, regardless of the type of spirit it matures in.

The downside, however, is that you need a lot of patience to build your Solera system.

In the Rum world

The first use of a Solera system in the world of rum was on the island of Cuba. For a long time, Cuba had no truly good rum production, and the limited production that did exist was essentially no different from what you would find on the British Isles. The introduction of a Solera system by a few Spaniards who had migrated to Cuba from Jerez changed that.

By focusing on producing smooth rum, known in Cuba as Ron Ligero, Cuban rum suddenly became a hit. Besides the use of short fermentation and column distillation, it was primarily the Solera maturation that made the difference. The major advantage was that the maturation intensified the smoothness due to the high temperature combined with the high humidity in Cuba. Even relatively limited Solera systems, only a few years old, had positive results. The Spanish style, therefore, developed around this process.

Today, with a few exceptions, it is primarily Spanish-style rums that use the system. However, this is not always obvious. Some producers are very open about it, others aren't. But why is that?

The controversy

The status of Solera aging depends on who you ask. For those who grew up with rum and never really ventured outside the lines of the rum world, like me, Solera is a proven system with a rich history and corresponding expectations: Solera is synonymous with a blend of different ages, and produces (very) smooth rum.

The problem arises only for those who come to the rum world from the world of other spirits. The reason? Solera sometimes has a number, which indicates the oldest rum in the blend. Those who come from highly regulated spirits like Cognac and Whisky don't always recognize this. For them, an age means the youngest, not the oldest. Especially since there's no way to know exactly how much "old" rum is in the blend, this is problematic for those unfamiliar with the system. As a result, rums labeled with the word Solera are often viewed very critically, sometimes even condescendingly.

That is why some brands no longer mention the age (in some cases the EU no longer allows it) or simply no longer put the word Solera on the label.

The turning point

Despite criticism of the system, and especially its associated transparency, the word "Solera" is regaining some respect. More and more people are beginning to appreciate its benefits and also see the historical context as an added value. The number on the label is taken for what it is: a number. You're even seeing Solera systems finding their way into English-style rums, with the most famous examples being Bayou Reserve and Black Tot Historic Solera.

The fact that a brand like Black Tot, as part of Elixir Distillers, has embraced this maturation method demonstrates that there's a bright future for Solera maturations. It's so good, in fact, that Whisky Solera systems now exist as well. Who would have thought...

Conclusion

If you're looking for a smooth rum with a beautiful and complex profile, you should definitely seek out the better Solera rums. The system has proven itself time and again and offers added value, despite the stigma surrounding it. Now that you know what a Solera system is and how it works, you can get started and better understand why it's so interesting. Definitely try the rums from the founders of Solera in the rum world: Matusalem.