"Dunder pit? This is the one of the most distinctive features of traditional Jamaican rum, a style exemplified by Hampden, which has been in operation since 1753. You typically make rum by fermenting molasses and/or sugar cane juice into an alcoholic wash, then distil that into a potent liquor, but local distillers developed several strategies to oomph up the flavour."
"Dunder is the leftover liquid from the still, and it's lobbed into the next fermentation for its funky notes, a bit like a sourdough starter. At Hampden, they also use muck, an outrageously smelly, semi-sentient soup containing countless billions of yeast bacteria, plus various bits of decomposing, well, stuff. I'm not sure what would happen if you fell in: possibly die, or perhaps be granted infinite powers, Obelix-style."
After Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica, Hampden Estate in Trelawney sustained roof damage and palm-tree loss, and rumours arose that dunder pits had overflowed. Dunder is the recycled stillage added to subsequent fermentations to impart funky, sourdough-starter-like character. Hampden also uses muck, a highly odorous mix of yeasts, bacteria and decomposing material, and relies on wild yeasts that ferment over weeks rather than industrial yeasts that finish in days. Owner Andrew Hussey reported that production is now safe, while local communities remain badly affected. The rich microbial communities in dunder and muck produce Jamaican rum's deep, bassy flavour.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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