The world of rum is so exciting. There are unlimited flavour profiles and the skill behind the products is unbelievably impressive. Rums deserve the same respect as Whiskies. They have the same range of qualities and sipping on a glass of fine rum is such an elegant experience. I feel this diversity is perfectly captured by the Ron Colón Salvadoreno range.
How did it begin?
The story of Ron Colón Salvadoreno begins in 2018 when two befriended colleagues (Thurman Wise and Pepijn Janssens) went on a 22 day, 16 Latin American country bar crawl. During this trip, El Salvador (Sivar in slang) caught their eye. Seeing that this place was so much more than what you can read about on google, they decided to create a product that showcased the Sivar they experienced.
The Team
What began with just two has grown into a team of six. Chris Rehberger and his team at Double standards have curated the brand’s visual identity. Andres Trigueros and his family at Jags Heads Coffee collaborated with Ron Colón for their coffee expression, whilst Felicity Gransden joined the team for her unique talent in flavour innovations. And for my personal favourite part of any company, the Social Media, Tobias Jegenstam was brought on.
Ron Colón High Proof Aged Rum
This expression is a blend of 70% 6-year-old column still Salvadoran rum, produced by the Licorera Cihuatán distillery, 15% unaged pot still Jamaican rum produced by Worthy Park, Hampden and Monymusk distilleries & 15% 3-year-old Jamaican pot still rum produced by Worthy Park. I love that all this information about the blend is available. You get to see exactly what the bottle is made up of and where it comes from.
Surprisingly, the Rum is made from Molasses. After tasting it blind I was convinced it was an Agricole (made from sugar cane juice), but it turns out the rums used are just packed full of funky flavours.
The Salvadoran rum starts off with a 36-hour fermentation of the molasses. It’s then distilled by Master Distiller and blender, Gabriella Ayala and aged in white oak ex-bourbon barrels.
The flavours are bold and distinctive. This a rum that you’ll recognise, even when it’s been mixed up in a cocktail. When you go to taste this rum you’re hit with the smell of fresh pineapple and green bananas. On the first sip, green apple, spiced caramel and tangy pineapple are the first flavours to hit. As it mellows I find there are more nutty chocolate notes. It is fabulous and at 55.5% the options for drinking this rum are endless. I’ve already enjoyed it neat and in a Piña Colada.
Ron Colón Coffee Infused High Proof Aged Rum
Their coffee expression is so much more than a ‘flavoured rum’. It is the same blend as the Ron Colón High Proof Aged Rum and is then cold macerated with coffee from Andres and Tomas Trigueros of Jags Head Coffee.
The coffee infused Ron Colón Salvadoreño is made using bourbon coffee beans from the El Ciprés region, grown at 1700m next to El Salvador’s famous Santa Ana volcano. Bourbon coffee beans have a beautiful,buttery sweetness. The beans are processed using the natural method. The natural process used is a slow process, the beans are consistently turned by hand to ensure they dry equally.
The whole beans are cold macerated with the rum, which lasts 48 hours. This technique allows the fruit flavours of the coffee to infuse before the bitter notes impart on the liquid.
This rum smells like roasted nuts mixed with jalapeños (strange I know, but trust me, when you smell it you’ll understand). It tastes exactly how you would expect, like a stunning filter coffee with a splash of rum. If you love coffee and rum, these guys have created the perfect drink for you.
Disclosure
These bottles were a PR Sample, but I was under no obligation to write this post.
