Dzama

Dzama (/ˈzɑːmə/) "Rhum" is the brand name for rums produced by Groupe Vidzar in Madagascar.[1]

History

Dzama Rhum was the idea of Lucien Fohine (half-Chinese, half-Malagasy) and his wife. They owned a grocery business and a scotch whiskey distribution company. After importing by the bottle, the Fohines took advantage of the economies of scale afforded by importing in barrels and bottling domestically. The resulting empty barrels found natural use in the aging of rum from the island of Nosy Be (off Madagascar's northwest coast) which he had found to bear the particular terroir influence of its volcanic soil and the surrounding plantations of aromatic plants such as vanilla, Ylang-Ylang, citrus, clove, pepper, wild pepper, and others. The minerals of this soil and the essential oils from the plants he knew to produce a rum that was impossible to duplicate naturally elsewhere.[2][3]

A variety of rum products were quickly added. Production was transferred to Antananarivo (the capital) when the success of the rums and the cost of transportation made it imperative by 1984.

Rums produced and methods used

Barrels come mainly from the Chivas Brothers Distillery in Scotland, old American oak barrels that were previously used for Sherry or Bourbon production. Used and new Limousin oak barrels are also employed in the aging of the higher-end rums.[2][3]

Their Classique Cuvee Blanche has gained notoriety in rum lover circles as the first white rum found to be delightfully smooth, complex, and soft on the palate with no throat burn. The only sipping white rum many have ever experienced. It undergoes a very short stay in the used Scotch barrels that are first washed with a citrus solution. The remaining fresh acidity adds dimension to the other complex terroir-derived influences of cloves, vanilla, and others.

This Classique Cuvee Blanche and its companion the Classique Cuvee Noire (still bottled by hand) are impressive in their complexity and finesse even when stood against their elders listed below — the Prestige and Nosy-Be lines, which are bottled in separate modern facilities.

A five-part filtration system is used to ensure water purity: a sand filter to remove impurities and solids; Carbon to remove odors; Cathanion to remove chemicals; Cartouche for minerals; and Ultraviolet to kill germs.

Quality Control: All possible sanitary precautions are taken to ensure a pure, untainted product. Masks, gowns, headgear, shoe covers, and disinfectant basins are used by all who enter the bottling plants. Walls are painted twice a year to prevent the development of mold and mildew. Employee hands are inspected.

Special yeasts are used in the distillation of each rum to ensure ideal fits between— the rums derived from sugar cane of different regions with different aromatic plant influences, and the blending to occur at later dates. This care in the selection and matching of batches is what differentiates the Dzama Rums from all others in the market. Dzama Rums are terroir-specific products.[2][3]

Dzama makes 1-, 3-, 6- and 10-year old rums. Some rums are flavored with vanilla bean pods.[7]

type	Private
foundation	1980
location	Groupe Vidzar SARL Immeuble Dzama Anosibe Angarangarana BP 4403 – Tananarive Madagascar
key people	Franck Fohine
industry	Distilled beverages
products	Rum Liqueur Cocktails
homepage	https://www.dzamarums.com/

History

Etymology

Rums produced and methods used

Selected brands and varieties

Bibliography

Awards

External links

References