A bottle of Cartavio rum looks modest and solid. Instead of design delights – the image of numerous awards awarded to the drink at international competitions. At home, in Peru, this rum is considered the best. However, it is not as famous outside the country as the famous Peruvian wines. Despite the almost 90-year history of the brand, Kartavio began to be exported only in the XNUMXst century. Rum of many years of aging, produced according to the original technology, has become a real surprise for gourmets in Europe and America.
Historical reference. According to the chronicles, in 1675, the captain of the Spanish army, Domingo Cartavio, set up a sugar cane plantation in the Chicama River Valley. Since then, the estate has changed hands many times, but the name “Kartavio” stuck with it forever.
In 1929, the Cuban blender José Carnera built a distillery here. At first, Cartavio rum was made exclusively from fermented sugar cane juice, which was distilled in an old copper alambika. However, in 1953, the plant installed an English John Dore still (4000 liters capacity) and began to use molasses from a neighboring sugar factory.
As a result of the land reforms of 1968, the plant was nationalized, and production volumes decreased significantly. In 1994, the company was acquired by a private investor, but only a distillery, without warehouses, which by that time had 18000 barrels of aged rum. Therefore, blenders actually had to restore the production of the drink from scratch, which took more than 10 years.
The world learned about Cartavio rum only towards the end of the first decade of the 2007st century. But from 2016 to 35, the drink won more than XNUMX awards from the Chicago Beverage Testing Institute, San Francisco World Spirits Competition, Miami Rum XP Awards, Madrid International Rum Conference, New York The Fifty Best, Brussels International Taste & Quality Institute.
Senor Federico Schulz, senior blender at Cartavio Rum, shared the secrets of making rum in an interview:
- rum Cartavio is produced only from the best Peruvian raw materials (cane juice and molasses), so the drink is almost terroir;
- The company uses two distillation technologies: in a cube and in a column. The resulting heavy and light rums are mixed in a certain proportion;
- 9 types of oak barrels are used to age rum. For example, American white oak wood gives the drink a vanilla flavor, Slovenian wood gives a cognac flavor, French (Limousin) wood is rich in tannins, and after several years in a Spanish sherry barrel, notes of sherry appear in the taste of rum;
- Cartavio is aged in two ways: conventional and solera. For rum aging, the company has specially equipped 14 different rooms, each of which maintains a certain temperature and humidity level. By moving casks from one room to another, blenders regulate the taste of rum;
- According to Peruvian law, rum must be aged for at least a year. Even the youngest rum from the Cartavio line is two years old.
Types of rum Kartavio
Cartavio Rum produces the following types of rum and liqueurs based on it:
- Cartavio Blanco is a light straw-colored rum, 40% ABV, two years old, with a vanilla-fruity aroma. On the palate, shades of ripe fruit are balanced by a light oak bitterness. The drink is suitable for cocktails;
- Cartavio Superior – amber-colored rum (40%), two years old. On the palate, the sweetness of vanilla blends harmoniously with the astringent bitterness of old oak;
- Cartavio Black – old gold-colored rum (40%), two years old, with a sweet woody-fruity taste;
- Cartavio 3 años – dark golden rum (40%), 3 years old, with vanilla and sherry flavors;
- Cartavio Selecto – amber-colored rum (40%), a blend of 9 rums, the average age of which is 5 years. The drink has a fruity aroma and caramel flavor;
- Cartavio Solera 12 años – dark amber rum (40%), a blend of rum spirits (average age 12 years), which are first aged according to the “solera” system, and then in bourbon and sherry casks, as well as in casks from Slovenian oak. Shades of creamy toffee, bananas and nuts are woven into the spicy taste of the drink;
- Cartavio XO is a mahogany-colored rum (40%), a blend of rum spirits aged first according to the solera system, then in American, French and Slovenian oak barrels. Taste – vanilla-chocolate, with hints of spices and nuts;
- Cartavio Capricho Milky Cream – cream liqueur (17%);
- Cartavio Capricho Mint & Chocolate – mint chocolate liqueur (17%);
- Cartavio Licor de Ron – honey-fruit liqueur (28%).
