Mates Indonesian Arrack (40%)

Arrack is most likely one of the oldest distillates in the world. Before sugar cane was ever planted in the Caribbean, before gin was distilled in London, even before the word "alcohol" was first used, people drank Arrack. In the late 15th century, Portuguese and Dutch merchants reached the island of Java. They discovered that Chinese sugarcane planters had developed a secret recipe that allowed molasses to be fermented and then distilled to produce what is known today as Batavia Arrack, or Indonesian rum. In Java, Indonesia sugar cane is used to distill this New Mates Batavia Arrack from Javanese sugar cane molasses. The fermentation process differs slightly from other rum varieties from the rest of the world. With this rum from Indonesiä they have added a very small amount of red rice in the form of dried cake during the fermentation process. Red rice (Beras Merah Indonesia) helps to cultivate wild yeast and gives a kick start to the fermentation which creates the unique character of the Arrack.
Mates Arrack is distilled twice in old Chinese steel pot stills. This type of pot stills were also used at the time of the VOC (United East India Company). The 6-month maturation of the distillate takes place in large barrels of Indonesian teak.

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