In December 1492, Spanish Admiral Christopher Columbus first set foot on a beautiful Caribbean island, which he immediately named Hispaniola. He returned the following year, this time bringing with him sugar cane, which must be able to thrive in this magnificent climate...? Brilliant!
The Dominican Republic occupies 2/3 of Hispaniola. The capital city of Santo Domingo is today home to the proud, old rum producer Ron Barceló, founded by the young Mallorcan enthusiast Julian Barceló in 1929-30. Ron Barceló quickly became synonymous with the best local rum and the fastest growing company on the island. Ron Barceló Añejo first saw the light in 1970 in the unique patented amber colored bottle "Pitufita". From there, Ron Barceló did not look back.....
In 1980, Ron Barceló Imperial was presented, which was praised by the prestigious Beverage Test Institute of Chicago as the best rum in the world and even with the highest score ever in the institute's history (97/100).
The production takes place in the province of San Pedro de Macorís, which with an average temperature of 30 and a humidity of 90% has the perfect conditions for maturing rum. Naturally, this is done according to all the rules of the art in the finest American oak barrels. 1 year of aging here corresponds to 4 years in cooler conditions!
Ron Barceló is a high-quality rum with all the classic virtues and as such has been awarded numerous gold medals and other honors at international spirits symposiums.
Ron Barceló, is among the
Dominican Republic's largest and most prestigious companies and exports the majority of its production to 50 countries worldwide.
The distillery is made with maximum focus on a green environment, and I dare to claim that it is the world's most environmentally friendly distillery. This is based on the following facts:
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No external energy is added at all. The boilers, which generate steam and power for electricity, are powered by the pressed and dried sugar cane.
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They generate 33,000 KW of electricity annually via solar panels to supplement.
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All co2 from the fermentation process is collected and put into pressure tanks, which are used for soft drinks at the local Coca Cola factory. This way, there is no impact on the climate.
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All organic material and wastewater from the fermentation process is piped to the sugarcane fields as organic fertilizer for the new sugarcane.
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The entire factory is environmentally certified according to the international ISO 14.001 standard
The distillery takes great responsibility for all the small villages around the factory. They use part of their profits for charity, running several schools so that all children can go to school for free. They also employ special staff to make sure that everyone can read and write and that those who want to can get paid training to become skilled workers. They are given the opportunity to reschedule their work to fit in with school, vocational school and university education.
"There is no doubt that Barcelo is a rum you can drink with a good taste in your mouth, in more ways than one...."
- Quote from
Whisky & Rum magazine #2 - 2017
