The University of Kentucky James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits’ students and faculty recently traveled to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. They brought some of their distillation, wine and brewing classes to life at the island’s rum and vodka production facilities.
Before the trip, students studied comprehensive modules covering topics such as fermentation, raw materials, distillation and specific rum production. They also learned about sugarcane cultivation and trade with the help of study materials created by Devyn Benson and Vanessa Holden in UK’s African-American and Africana Studies program.
Students spent nearly two days at Cruzan Rum, a rum producer distillery owned by Beam Suntory. They learned about business planning, safety and what goes into creating an efficiently running supply chain while on an island. They also walked through each step of the rum-making process from molasses delivery to yeast seeding, fermentation and distillation.
“I am interested in issues related to natural resource management, conservation and water,” Early said. “Seeing how distilleries handle those issues is helpful in advising my clients.”
At Cruzan Rum, the group learned about power generation and water conservation, both critical inputs due to the island’s limited resources, extreme weather, power outages and water scarcity.
“At Cruzan, we are committed to building the next level of talent by developing a consistent passageway through Cruzan from institutions such as UK,” said Ayanda Daniels, Cruzan Rum Distillery human resources manager.
The group also visited Mutiny Island Distillery, an innovative startup focusing on making vodka from locally grown breadfruit. Early observed that Caribbean distilleries handle fermentation and distillation in the same way as their United States’ counterparts. However, water management is where the differences begin to show.
“Their wastewater handling and energy use are very important,” he said. “They are limited by how much fresh water they have. The cost of energy there is about five times what we pay here. They are very committed and insightful professionals in the way they deal with resource limitations.”
Source: uky.edu
Photo Credit: University of Kentucky
Categories: Kentucky, Education