Flor de Cana –
Corinto, Nicaragua
When we visited Corinto, we went on an excursion to a rum
distillery. Now, I did this mainly for
Jeff, as he likes rum. I, however, had
never tasted a rum that I cared for. I
told him I’d be a good participant and try some (the tour came with a tasting),
but I was certain he would end up finishing my tasting.
Distillery Logo
This distillery is family owned and has been in operation since
1890. It has been passed down thru the
generations, and is still going strong.
They pride themselves on the aging of their rums.
Museum and Shop
This only looks like an oddly shaped barrel. It’s really a small museum, with a few
antiques from the founder of the distillery and a souvenir type shop, where, in
addition to t-shirts and dresses, one can also buy some of their rum (what a
coincidence!). Also, in an upper loft,
one can pay for a tasting of some rum that is aged 25 years – it’s a bargain at
about $160/bottle! (Or so they say!)
Not Water Tanks
These may look like water tanks, but they’re not. We weren’t clear exactly what’s in it –
except that it’s rum in some stage of being processed from sugar cane liquid or
a type of molasses. The molasses ends up
getting distilled, and then the rum that results from that is aged.
Reconstructing Used Barrels
When the rum is ready to begin the aging process, the Flor de
Cana rum distillery has found that old Jack Daniels barrels make an excellent
vessel for aging their rum. They import
used barrels from Jack Daniels – the barrels that are used for bourbon. They only use those, as they give their rum a
distinctive taste that Flor de Cana is known for.
Where Rum is Aged
Flor de Cana prides itself on its aged rum. The “youngest” rum that will carry the Flor
de Cana name has been aged 4 years.
However, the also have rum that has been aged 12, 18 and 25 years. The longer its aged, the smoother it tastes,
and more expensive it costs! We were
taken into this building where some rum that has been aged 30 years was
kept. This is not sold, and is generally
only used by the family (to serve on special occasions or for very good
friends), but we were all allowed a very small sip – yow! It was mighty powerful! I did enjoy the
whimsical shape of the door, too!
Served on Old Rum Barrels
When we were being served our first tasting, we were shown into
a room with some great atmosphere, which was aided by the use of old rum
barrels as tasting tables! They served
the rum tasting in some nice sipping glasses, and we were only given straight
rum. This was the rum that has been aged
18 years. I was hesitant, but I said I’d
try it, so I did. And, guess what? I don’t dislike rum – however, I only like
expensive rum!
Tasty!
Yep, Jeff enjoyed all the tastings – the 12 year rum, the 18
year rum, the 30 year rum and when we got to the museum/shop, we did go up to
the loft and sampled the 25 year old rum!
Needless to say, we were pretty happy returning to the ship!
Enjoy!
