Canary Islands
The colonisation of the Canary Islands began in the 15th century. Initially, the first sugar cane plants were imported from the island of Madeira. These same plants were brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus. The archipelago's sugar prices soon suffered from competition from the colonies across the Atlantic, but until the 17th century the local aguardiente de cana (sugarcane brandy) was still shipped there, which was still much better than what the early tafia could offer.
Later, during the 19th century, competition from the Caribbean and Brazil was too strong and sugar and rum production almost disappeared.
But at the end of the century, the Canary Islands experienced an upsurge that completely revived rum production, with the distilleries of Arucas and Ron Valle.
TheArucas distillery (the largest in the Canary Islands, founded in 1884) started to produce both molasses rum and agricultural rum from its own cane plantations. Its products are still very present on the island with Arehucas rum, and then with Artemi rum (founded in 1940), whose facilities it bought. It is in one of the largest cellars in Europe that it produces the great speciality of the archipelago: honey rum.
The Aldea distillery, on the island of La Palma, was created by Don Manuel Quevedo, an engineer who trained in Cuba and Madeira. Originally established on Gran Canaria in 1936, it closed in 1960 and reopened in 1969 in La Palma. It produces both agricultural and molasses rums, blends of both, and of course honey rum.
The pure cane juice is fermented spontaneously (without industrial yeasts and without temperature control) for 30 to 50 hours depending on the climatic conditions, and then distilled on an old French still dating from 1893.
For example, we can recommend the Cana Pura Vintage 2012 pure cane juice rum or the Dark 8 year old rum, a blend of molasses and pure cane juice rums.
The 1960s and the arrival of mass tourism brought additional dynamism to the sector, and it is thanks to this that today the Ron Aldea and the Ron Magic in La Palma, the Ron Arehucas on Gran Canaria, and the Ron Aguere in Tenerife remain. Read less
