This remarkable, artisanal rum is handmade in the distillery, or trapiche, of Jose Luis Carrera, located in the lush and cool tropical environment of northern Oaxaca Mexico. Jose Luis’ family has been making aguardiente for at least three generations, with his father and grandfather teaching him the trade at a very young age. For the past 35 years, he has been producing an incredible, rich and fragrant spirit as one of many means to provide for his family.
Carrera grows four different types of sugar cane on his 14 hectares: Caña Dulce, Caña Morada/Negra, Caña Dura, and Caña Amarilla/Criolla. His aguardiente batches are made from predominantly Caña Criolla, but inevitably have a blend of all four cane types. This is truly an artisanal operation; the cane is cut by hand and transported by donkey to the distillery, where the freshly pressed cane juice is fermented naturally in 1,100-litre pine vats, or tinas. A boiled ‘mother’ made from bark of the native Mesquite tree is used to kick-start fermentation–literally the only additive that touches the entire process.
One of the things that really sets Carrera’s rum apart from his neighbours and other white rum styles such as Rhum Agricole and Cachaça, is the use of rolling fermentation, which adds layers of funk and complexity. Jose Luis maintains a continuous fermentation, distilling only half of a single fermentation vat every morning and refilling it in the afternoon–the remaining active tepache inoculates the new liquid and the fermentation in the tina never stops!Â
The Oak Barrel’s Thoughts:
This was a shock to us; we didn’t know rum was being made in Mexico, let alone some of the best white rum we’ve had the pleasure of trying. Big, funky and with a prominent sour-dough note; delicious.
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