As my sabbatical takes me further south through Central America, I find myself on a colourful “Chicken Bus”, admiring the San Cristóbal volcano to my left and thinking about the most sustainable rum distillery I've ever seen to my right. I’m heading to Leon, the second largest city in Nicaragua.
Feeling pretty good to have done the Flor de Cana rum tour (meaning Sugarcane Flower in Spanish) for $12 instead of a whopping $40 by taking local transport. Sustainable just like the distillery owners would have liked it.
The tour starts just inside the huge entrance doors, next to a well branded old steam train. Our first taste is Flor de Cana 7 años, which tasted great in the sun. The distillery is impressive with four rum filled warehouses, at least 5 column stills, vast plantations and a gift shop made out of a giant barrel.
The shadow of San Cristóbal can't be ignored. The tallest and most active volcano in Nicaragua is the backdrop to the Flor De Cana distillery. Standing at 1,745m tall it is credited for many of the great flavours within the rum. Centuries of falling ash has enriched the soil and the volcanic rock filters the water into underground deposits, making perfect growing conditions for sugarcane.
The temperate and humidity also plays its part, increasing the interaction between the aging rum and barrels for more complex flavours.
Next is the tasting room (perfect!) for a history lesson and a taste of award winning Flor de Cana 25 anos. Surrounded by dozens of barrels dated back to the 80s within the deep cellar.
Flor de Cana was founded in 1890 with 5 generations of family ownership, which is proudly displayed on the walls. During that time the family have prospered through earthquakes, eruptions, civil war and a family plane crash.
Its Founder, an Italian called Alfredo Francisco Pellas originally came to Nicaragua to set up a safe passage from east to west America in the height of the gold rush. However the development of the Transcontinental Train Line and the Panama Canal turned Alfredo’s attentions to rum.
The distillery produces rum using cane molasses through one of their five column stills and dilutes at 180 proof. The rum has sugar removed making it pure enough to wash your hands without leaving a sticky residue.
To age, the rum is placed in white oak barrels which have been used only once. Each barrel is broken down on site and rebuilt using a high pressure machine. Plantain leaves are inserted between the seams of the wood to reduce the amount of angles breath. Flor are also rightly proud to say there are no artificial ingredients added to their rum.
Each of the 4 warehouses contains 6,500 barrels. At 200ltrs a barrel that’s 5.2 million litres of rum. This explains the need for 3 fire trucks stationed on site.
Flor de Cana has multiple awards for its range of rums. However I’m more impressed by their sustainable achievements. They are one of a handful of fairtrade certified spirit brands in the world. The ingredients are sustainably sourced, distilled with renewable energy and 50,000 trees are planted annually. Employees and their families also benefit from free healthcare and school education.
This must be how a 5-generation rum business survives, by looking after the land and the people on it. Certainly leading by example against some of the other big brands in the industry.
If you want to hear about the best coconut flavoured rum in the business. See the Flor de Cana Coconut review, and learn how to make a Piña Colada inspired by Flor called the Nica Piña.
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