List of Puerto Rican rums
Encyclopedia
Rum
(ron in Spanish
) producing has long been an important part of Puerto Rico
's economy since the 16th century. While sugar cane harvesting has virtually disappeared in Puerto Rico (except for a few isolated farms and agricultural experiments), distilleries around the island still produce large amounts of rum every year. Don Q
is the top-selling rum brand on the island, where more than 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced.
is Barceló, Marqués y Co. Its flagship brand was Ron Palo Viejo. Ron Palo Viejo is now owned by Serrallés, whose flagship rum is Don Q
Rum has been produced in Arecibo since the second half of the 19th century. Roses, García y Co. was bottling their Ron de la Casa de Roses as early as 1868. Ron Llave dates from 1891, and by 1893 they were purveyors of rum under license from the Royal house of Spain.
There were several rum producers in Arecibo by the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them merged their distillery operations into a single entity, the Puerto Rico Distilling Co., which was formally incorporated on February 2, 1911. The new company eventually became the principal supplier of partially refined or final product to rum aging, blending and bottling companies in Mayagüez and Bayamón. During Prohibition
the company turned into producing denaturalized alcohol, bay rum
(up to 265 different brands of bay rum were eventually produced at the main distilling plant, including the best-selling Alcoholado Superior 70 and Alcoholado Santa Claus
) and other industrial products. Rum production returned in 1934, with Ron Candado. A joint venture with Florida Cane Products, Inc. spawned a new corporation, Ronrico, in 1935, which had considerable success selling rum in the United States. A new distilling plant was opened in 1942.
The following are rums produced in Arecibo (or in nearby Barceloneta
while the holding company was Arecibo-based:
Ron del Barrilito's production process is considered by experts to be the closest thing to that used traditionally to distill rum in the 19th century. The company producing it was founded by Edmundo Fernandez in the early 19th century. It has produced its rum inside a brick and mortar windmill tower located originally within a sugar cane plantation, the Hacienda Santa Ana, now an industrial park in the outskirts of Bayamón. Its yearly production run is a limited one.
had various rum producing companies, some of which were contractors for United States
- and Bahamian-based public and private brands. The most successful was José González Clemente y Co. (JGC); other companies were: Ron Oro Nativo (RON, whose parent company was Seagram
), Alfredo Vega Toro y Co. (AVT), Baltasar Cruz y Co. (BC), Luis García y Co. (LG), Julio Maldonado y Co. (JM), the Mayagüez Rum Company (MRC), and "Primitivo Grau y Co (PG). Among the brands produced in Mayagüez were (bottler in parentheses):
Samples of all these brands or their labels are kept as part of the historical collection of the Castillo Serrallés in Ponce.
The Puerto Rico Sugar Company established a new rum distillery in Mayagüez during 2009, named Destilería Coquí; its production is limited to 100 bottles a day. The Destilería's main product is an artisan rum called Pitorro, analogous to the name in common use to describe Puerto Rican moonshine rum.
The main rum-producing enterprise in Ponce is Destilería Serrallés, Inc., which has been producing rum in site since 1865, with some interruptions. Its flagship brand, Ron Don Q (short for Don Quijote, the favorite character of one of the Serrallés family heirs) dates from 1932. Don Q is Puerto Rico's top-selling rum.
Some holding companies for rum labels were based in the nearby town of Adjuntas
.
" rum, nicknamed Cañita (not to be confused with the current "legal" brand, which merely adopted the popular term, and which had a precursor in the late 1930s) or Pitorro rum, tend to operate in Puerto Rico, particularly around the Christmas
season. The word "pitorro" is actually a corruption of the word "pintorro", an Andalusian term used to depict inferior-quality wine or rum that had a weak color (hence the name). Clandestine rum operations are rather uncommon nowadays in Puerto Rico, given the fact that sugar cane production has dwindled in Puerto Rico since the closing of government-owned "centrales" or mills. Nevertheless, authorities confiscate many cañita/pitorro rum productions every year. A town renowned for its "pitorro" production is Añasco
, given its proximity to Mayagüez (rum production talent and recipes) and its former (and current, in some areas) harvesting of sugar cane.
Pitorro is also a term given to homemade flavored rum, prepared by adding various fruits spices and/or flavorings to ferment over a period of time. A particularly favored variety made with quenepas called Bilí is made in Vieques.
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
(ron in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) producing has long been an important part of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
's economy since the 16th century. While sugar cane harvesting has virtually disappeared in Puerto Rico (except for a few isolated farms and agricultural experiments), distilleries around the island still produce large amounts of rum every year. Don Q
Don Q
Don Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
is the top-selling rum brand on the island, where more than 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced.
Partial list of current Puerto Rican rums
- Admiral Nelson Spiced Rum
- BacardiBacardiBacardi is a family-controlled spirits company, best known as a producer of rums, including Bacardi Superior and Bacardi 151. The company sells in excess of 200 million bottles per year in nearly 100 countries...
- the best selling brand worldwide - Ron de Castillo
- Palo Viejo
- Don QDon QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
- the -topselling rum brand in Puerto Rico - Boca Chica Rum
- Trigo Reserva Añeja
- Ron Llave
- Ron del Barrilito
- Ron Rico
- Ron Cañita Cura'o (Extra Strength)
- Pitorro Coquí
-
- Captain Morgan is no longer a Puerto Rican rum. They have moved all production to the US Virgin Islands.
Rums produced in the city of Arecibo
The main rum producing enterprise in AreciboArecibo, Puerto Rico
Arecibo is a municipality in the northern midwest coast of Puerto Rico and located by the Atlantic Ocean, north of Utuado and Ciales; east of Hatillo; and west of Barceloneta, and Florida. Arecibo is spread over 18 wards and Arecibo Pueblo...
is Barceló, Marqués y Co. Its flagship brand was Ron Palo Viejo. Ron Palo Viejo is now owned by Serrallés, whose flagship rum is Don Q
Rum has been produced in Arecibo since the second half of the 19th century. Roses, García y Co. was bottling their Ron de la Casa de Roses as early as 1868. Ron Llave dates from 1891, and by 1893 they were purveyors of rum under license from the Royal house of Spain.
There were several rum producers in Arecibo by the beginning of the 20th century. Most of them merged their distillery operations into a single entity, the Puerto Rico Distilling Co., which was formally incorporated on February 2, 1911. The new company eventually became the principal supplier of partially refined or final product to rum aging, blending and bottling companies in Mayagüez and Bayamón. During Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
the company turned into producing denaturalized alcohol, bay rum
Bay rum
Bay rum is the name of a cologne/aftershave lotion.Other uses include as under-arm deodorant and as a fragrance for shaving soap, as well as a general astringent....
(up to 265 different brands of bay rum were eventually produced at the main distilling plant, including the best-selling Alcoholado Superior 70 and Alcoholado Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
) and other industrial products. Rum production returned in 1934, with Ron Candado. A joint venture with Florida Cane Products, Inc. spawned a new corporation, Ronrico, in 1935, which had considerable success selling rum in the United States. A new distilling plant was opened in 1942.
The following are rums produced in Arecibo (or in nearby Barceloneta
Barceloneta, Puerto Rico
Barceloneta is a municipality in Puerto Rico and is located in the north region, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, north of Florida, east of Arecibo and west of Manati. Barceloneta is spread over 3 wards and Barceloneta Pueblo...
while the holding company was Arecibo-based:
- Ron Pizá
- Ron Llave
- Ron Candado
- Ron Tres Estrellas
- Ron San Isidro
- Ron Cañón
- Ron Portela
- Ron Granado
- Ron Palo Viejo (Produced in Camuy, near Arecibo)
Rums produced in the city of Bayamón
- Ron del Barrilito (two-star and three-star varieties)
Ron del Barrilito's production process is considered by experts to be the closest thing to that used traditionally to distill rum in the 19th century. The company producing it was founded by Edmundo Fernandez in the early 19th century. It has produced its rum inside a brick and mortar windmill tower located originally within a sugar cane plantation, the Hacienda Santa Ana, now an industrial park in the outskirts of Bayamón. Its yearly production run is a limited one.
Rums produced in the city of Mayagüez
The city of MayagüezMayagüez, Puerto Rico
Mayagüez is the eighth-largest municipality of Puerto Rico. Originally founded as "Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria" it is also known as "La Sultana del Oeste" , "Ciudad de las Aguas Puras" , or "Ciudad del Mangó"...
had various rum producing companies, some of which were contractors for United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- and Bahamian-based public and private brands. The most successful was José González Clemente y Co. (JGC); other companies were: Ron Oro Nativo (RON, whose parent company was Seagram
Seagram
The Seagram Company Ltd. was a large corporation headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada that was the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in the world. Toward the end of its independent existence it also controlled various entertainment and other business ventures...
), Alfredo Vega Toro y Co. (AVT), Baltasar Cruz y Co. (BC), Luis García y Co. (LG), Julio Maldonado y Co. (JM), the Mayagüez Rum Company (MRC), and "Primitivo Grau y Co (PG). Among the brands produced in Mayagüez were (bottler in parentheses):
- Christopher Columbus Rum (RON, credited as being bottled by the Christopher Columbus Rum Co.)
- Government House Rum (MRC)
- Myers's Rum - Jamaican bulk heavy dark rum bottled once in Mayagüez by JGC, later bottled by Destilería Serrallés, Inc. in Ponce
- Reserva Especial (RON)
- Ron 738 (LG)
- Ron Delicias (JM)
- Ron El Campesino (JM)
- Ron El Invencible (BC)
- Ron Imporico (JCG) - an imitator of Ronrico
- Ron Latino (AVT)
- Ron Mister Kuba (JM)
- Ron Oro Nativo (RON)
- Ron Patria y Cuna (JGC)
- Ron Rey de Copas (BC)
- Ron Superior Escudo (BC) - an imitator of Ron Superior; use of the name was discontinued due to an injunction by JGC
- Ron Superior Puerto Rico (JGC) - the best known brand, which lasted from 1909 until the company's closing in 1980.
- Ron Caneca (PG) - Known to this day for the flask-shapped bottle. Now produced organically by descendents of Primitivo Grau.
- Ron Toro Negro (LG)
- Ron Yagüez (LG)
Samples of all these brands or their labels are kept as part of the historical collection of the Castillo Serrallés in Ponce.
The Puerto Rico Sugar Company established a new rum distillery in Mayagüez during 2009, named Destilería Coquí; its production is limited to 100 bottles a day. The Destilería's main product is an artisan rum called Pitorro, analogous to the name in common use to describe Puerto Rican moonshine rum.
Rums produced in the city of Ponce
- Don QDon QDon Q is a Puerto Rican rum, distilled, manufactured, bottled, and distributed by Destilería Serrallés from its corporate facility in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Don Q is the top-selling rum in Puerto Rico, where over 70% of the rum consumed in the United States is produced. The rum is named after Don...
- Puerto Rico's top-selling rum
The main rum-producing enterprise in Ponce is Destilería Serrallés, Inc., which has been producing rum in site since 1865, with some interruptions. Its flagship brand, Ron Don Q (short for Don Quijote, the favorite character of one of the Serrallés family heirs) dates from 1932. Don Q is Puerto Rico's top-selling rum.
Some holding companies for rum labels were based in the nearby town of Adjuntas
Adjuntas, Puerto Rico
Adjuntas is a small mountainside municipality in Puerto Rico located central midwest of the island on the Central Mountain range , north of Yauco, Guayanilla and Peñuelas; southeast of Utuado; east of Lares and Yauco; and west of Ponce. Adjuntas is spread over 16 wards and Adjuntas Pueblo...
.
Pitorro (also known as Ron Cañita) or illegal rum production
In addition to those brands, illegal artisans of "moonshineMoonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
" rum, nicknamed Cañita (not to be confused with the current "legal" brand, which merely adopted the popular term, and which had a precursor in the late 1930s) or Pitorro rum, tend to operate in Puerto Rico, particularly around the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season. The word "pitorro" is actually a corruption of the word "pintorro", an Andalusian term used to depict inferior-quality wine or rum that had a weak color (hence the name). Clandestine rum operations are rather uncommon nowadays in Puerto Rico, given the fact that sugar cane production has dwindled in Puerto Rico since the closing of government-owned "centrales" or mills. Nevertheless, authorities confiscate many cañita/pitorro rum productions every year. A town renowned for its "pitorro" production is Añasco
Añasco, Puerto Rico
Añasco , named after one of its settlers, Don Luis de Añasco, is a municipality of Puerto Rico located on the west coast of the island bordering the Mona Passage to the west, north of Mayagüez, and Las Marias; south of Rincón, Aguada, and Moca and west of San Sebastián and Las Marias...
, given its proximity to Mayagüez (rum production talent and recipes) and its former (and current, in some areas) harvesting of sugar cane.
Pitorro is also a term given to homemade flavored rum, prepared by adding various fruits spices and/or flavorings to ferment over a period of time. A particularly favored variety made with quenepas called Bilí is made in Vieques.