The Next Day….
Luz and Amity awoke after a night on the town with Dipper,Mabel and Pacifica. What had started out as a couple drinks ended up being 12 with the lovebirds coming back to the hotel at 12:30 in the morning. After some quick showers the 2 were dressed and heading downstairs for breakfast. After stuffing their faces full of eggs and bacon the 2 headed for the jeep."Luz where are we going today?" Amity asked. "Oh, we're touring Hacienda Santa Ana where they make Ron Del Rico's finest artisanal rum. " Luz replied as the two climbed into the car and began to drive."Oh that sounds interesting." Amity remarked as they hit the highway towards bayamon." It was my dads go-to brand. He always made sure he had a bottle of their 3 star rum in the house at all times." Luz said as the passed a sign for Bayamon….
30 minutes later…
Luz and Amity parked the car in a lot just outside the factory's entrance. After a short walk the two could see the windmill of the facility, its wind blades long removed with the sky blue Puerto rican fluttering atop the building. To the left they saw the visitors center and an old house. To the right was the facility where the rum was made as well as an old red truck. The two walked into the visitor center where they saw a large copper still and a large sign with the company name along with a stack of barrels with the name and logo painted on them. Ahead was the welcome desk where a woman was standing."Hello, welcome to Hacienda Santa Anna. May I please have your names?" She asked."Of course it's Luz Noceda and Amity Blight." Luz replied as the woman looked them up on the list."Ah yes you two are here for the 12pm tour and rum tasting. Here you two go, this device will buzz shortly before your tour these tokens will each get a free drink at the also sell empanadas if you are hungry" The woman said as she handed them the beeper and bar tokens.
"Thank you." Luz said."Of course." The woman replied as "Luz and Amity walked around the visitor center. They saw a wall of pictures of what must have been the family behind the rum."Well Amity, you want the drinks now or after the tour." Luz asked."Well it's 10 to 12 so I'd say after. I wanna sit and enjoy my drink without having to slurp it down." Amity said as the two decided to just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. The building had salsa music playing in the background. Not very loud but loud enough to enjoy. It didn't take long for the beeper to go off. Luz and Amity headed for the entrance where a group of 11 people were gathering for the tour,dropping off the beeper at the desk. "Hello everybody, welcome to Hacienda Santa Ana where we make Ron Del Barrelito, Puerto Rico's oldest name is Timmy. Now before we begin has anyone ever had our rum?" He asked as several raised their hands. Luz raised her hand and spoke."I have never had it but it was my dads go to rum." She replied."Well your father has good tastes." Timmy replied."Yes he did." Luz said, causing the guide to remark"Oh I'm sorry."
With that out of the way Timmy led the group out of the visitor center and towards the large house."Now our story begins when Fernando Fernández establishes a sugarcane plantation in Bayamon in 1787. Now fast forward 2 generations later his grandson Don Pedro Fernádez goes to France to study chemical engineering." Timmy exclaimed as the group slowly approached the family house."Now during his time in France he becomes enamored with cognacs and how they are made. So much so that when he returns he wants to make cognac himself. However since Puerto Rico lacked the ingredients to make cognac he takes the technique and applies it to making rum. Now he starts by making it for himself and his friends. Pedro would carry his rum around in a little barrel. Soon word gets out about Pedros rum and people begin asking for rum from the little barrel. So Pedro decides to go into the rum business and he names his company Ron Del Barrelito which means Rum from the little barrel." Timmy explained as they entered the Fernandez Household. Inside the house were old furniture and pictures of the Fernandez family. Luz looked and saw a bedroom with old style furniture. They then made their way into what appeared to be a dinning room."Ok folks you can see here how our bottle design has changed over the years but the logo has remained the same. Now when Pedro dies he passed the company to his son Edmundo and runs the company without issue till 1919 when prohibition begins. Being a part of the US we were subject to the law and therefore we had to cease rum production. In order to keep themselves afloat the Fernandez family began selling rubbing alcohol. You can see an example of this in a display case right here. Now this kept them afloat but barely. Now when prohibition ends we can get back to making run production but Edmundo has a problem. It takes up to 10 years to make his father's rum and he needs to sell rum as quickly as possible to get the company back on track. So he decides to make a younger rum more suited for mixing cocktails. That's when we introduce our 2 star rum." Timmy exclaimed. "Now, any questions." He asked.
"Does the family still use this house?" A woman asked." Good question: yes this is the family house that they have lived in for over a century. However, around 2018 the Fernandez family actually sold the company to a group of investors led by a member of the Bacardi family. They sold it based on the condition that we would continue to make the rum in the family style and tradition and that the elder Fernandez would be allowed to remain in the house until his passing. So actually we were giving tours of this building while he was still living here. He died a few years ago." Timmy said as people snapped pictures of the house's interior. With the viewing of the house done the group next made their way towards the windmill." Now if you look ahead you can see our barrel repair station. When working with spirits it's only a matter of time for the barrel's wear down and need to be repaired or mended so once we've used the barrel to the point where it's worn out we take it here and our staff will restore the barrel So we can return it to being used for aging how wrong some cases they make have a little fun and they make these chairs out of the barrels you're free to sit down in this one." Timmy stated." Now if you look to your left you'll see a red truck. This truck was used by the Fernandez family to transport the rum across the island." Timmy said as people took photos."Why does the windmill not have blades? " Amity asked." Good question, to the left of us you can see the old windmill. Back in the day when we used to grow sugar cane the windmill would be used to separate the sugar cane juice from the sugar cane. When sugar gate production began its decline, since we no longer grew sugar cane there was no need to keep the windmill blades." Timmy explained. After several photos The group then made their way into the rum factory itself. As the group walked in they could smell the aroma of alcohol. The air was thick with it. They looked before them and they saw a simple Assembly line where bottles would be filled with rum with several empty cases waiting for an order of rum.
" Now folks you can see here this is where we bottle our renowned rum. Those large tanks will carry the finished rum product then we feed the bottles through here where they get filled we then put the On them then they get sent over here to get their labels. We do 2 batches of rum a month about every 2 weeks which equals around 2,000-3,000 cases of rum so about 4,000-5,000 Cases of rum a month that may sound like a lot but when you compare us to the larger distillers It really isn't much but We are the only handmade handcrafted rum makers still left in Puerto Rico and you have to ask yourself do you want quantity or do you want quality." Timmy said to which the group nodded in agreement." Now we have 2 master blenders. Our head master blender is a man by the name of Luis Planas and our other is his apprentice, a man by the name of Guillermo. Well I can tell you that when they're not busy working they're just drinking rum. These guys are crazy enough to put their rum in their coffee." Timmy exclaimed, causing the group to laugh. The group then made their way to the next area which made the alcohol aroma of the prior room look tame in comparison. In this room were massive wooden tanks. Luz looked around and saw the barrel warehouse."Now folks I want to clarify we do not distill rum on site. After the sugar cane industry died in Puerto Rico it became too expensive for us to distill on-site so we began outsourcing. Currently we outsource to a rum maker in the Dominican Republic. They make the rum to our exact specifications and it gets shipped over here where we then macerate, age and blend the rum to create our product. Now this large tank here is where we store that rum. The rum we order is a white rum that is 90% ABV. We then mix a small amount of that rum with a series of fruits and spices. Don't ask me what they are, only the master blender knows. Now the maceration process lasts about 4-6 months when we take the macerated rum, mix it with the remaining white rum and add water to dilute the rum. Now the water we use Is rain water that we collect, filter and purify on-site. Now the mixture will stay in this tank for about 1-2 weeks when it's put in our barrels. When the rum goes into the barrels we do not add any sugar or coloring." Timmy explained as people took photos of the massive tanks.
Timmy then went over to a shelf where several jars were kept." Now folks, this here shows you the stages of rum when it undergoes maceration. We have ethanol, binol,oloroso,maceration and vanilla. Now you can smell it but remember this has yet to be diluted so it's basically moonshine." Timmy said as one by one the group smelled each jar. Luz coughed after smelling the 1st jar."Man that could knock out even Eda." The following jars were far more pleasant, especially the vanilla. With that done Timmy led them into the warehouse. Luz looked and saw shelves and shelves of rum barrels lining the warehouse. However what caught her eye was a single barrel of rum that was separated from the others..it had its own personal stand. Luz could clearly tell it had been there for a while as it had written in bold numbers 1952. " Now this is where we store our rum. Unlike most distilleries in Puerto Rico who use old bourbon barrels for the rum we use old sherry wine casks for our rum to give it its unique taste. Now in this warehouse we have rums from numerous decades.I have some rum here from the 2010s that are pretty young. I have some from the 90s, 80s ,70s and a couple from the 60s but the one I'm gonna show you is the most important barrel of rum in all of Puerto Rico. Barrel # 1 dated 1952. We call her La doña or the old lady. Edmundo, Pedro's son, like most of his family, were staunch Puerto Rican Independence advocates. In 1952 he created this barrel. Also in 1952 The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico was established. Edmundo did not like that very much so he created this barrel. Now when he dies in 1991 he leaves in his will that this barrel will not be opened until Puerto Rico gains its independence. On that day this barrel of rum will be taken to the town center which is about a 10 minute drive from here. It will be opened for the people to drink for free in celebration of our independence." Timmy explained."Now, any questions." he asked.
" How much is left in there?" A man asked. "Well our rough guess is somewhere around 30%. But don't worry if it were to happen the master blender has a plan to compensate for the angel loss. Which reminds me when the master blunder selects his barrels when he's making a batch of rum he and his team will sample the barrels. He will pick 25 barrels that he deems perfect for the type or rum in question and they will be blended together to make the rum whether it's a 2 star a 3 star or the 5 star." Timmy explained." Do you actually think it will get opened?" Luz asked." To be honest I used to think this barrel would never get opened. And we used to make a running joke. It's never gonna happen, we're never gonna see it. For those who haven't paid attention to news, we are having an upcoming vote on sovereignty. And if the vote passes in favor of sovereignty we will finally be able to open this barrel." Timmy says smiling before patting the barrel. The group stayed in the warehouse a bit longer and several decided to take a picture with the 1952 barrel. They soon made their way back into the visitor center where they were escorted into a room in the back each sat down at a table. Then quickly they were each brought A flight of glasses and a bottle of water. Soon a member of the staff began pouring rum into each of the glasses." OK folks, now before you you have each of the rums that we make here. We have also provided you with a bottle of water to clean your palate between each taste so that you can better appreciate each rum. Now remember when it comes to tasting rum, taste is subjective. You may say something that I won't taste, he may taste something that you don't taste and so on." Timmy explains."Now We will start off with our 2 star rum. This is a rum that's aged about 3-5 years. It's best used for mixing cocktails." Timmy said as the group took in the aroma of the rum before giving it a sip. Luz got a strong smell of alcohol from the 2 star with a hint of just smelt the alcohol. The taste had fruity notes with a hint of vanilla and a slight oaky taste before she felt the burn of alcohol."Ok what flavor notes are we getting?" Timmy asked. Several mentioned getting notes of fruits. Others talked about the taste of caramel. Some just couldn't get past the burn. After a quick cleaning of the palate they went to the 3 star. Amity got an aroma of vanilla and hints of raisins. Upon tasting she got banana and caramel flavors with a much smoother finish." The good thing about this rum is it is the perfect halfway point Between a mixing rum and a sipping rum. You can use this room to make cocktails or you can have it neat or on the rocks. Now what flavors are we getting?" Timmy asked. People mentioned flavors of banana, caramel and hints of almonds. After another cleaning of the palate it was time to move on to the 4 star. Luz To the width of this one and it was something swore it had a maple aroma. Upon having a sip she could taste hints of molasses mixing in with Cocoa. This was hands down the best rum she had ever could make the case that it was the best liquor she ever had.
After a quick discussion on the taste it was time to finally try the 5 star. Amity could smell hints of caramelized sugar with vanilla and almonds. Upon pasting it she was hit by a strong Smokey woodish taste With hints of brown sugar cinnamon. In her honest opinion it was okay but not as good as the 4 the tasting complete the tour wrapped up. Tammy pointed them to the gift shop if they wished to buy the rums or any other merchandise they had. Luz and Amity headed to the bar." What do you want to get, Amity?" She asked." I mean we should mix it up. We've been getting a lot of piña coladas So how about we try something different." Is Amity replied. The 2 decided to try the rum old-fashioned Along with getting an order of chicken empanadas. The two watched as the bartender prepared the drinks. Starting by grabbing a stick of cinnamon and lighting the tip on fire only to use the glass to smother the flame. Next he measured out the rum before pouring it into a mixing he added a syrup along with dashes of chocolate and orange bitters before adding ice and mixing the cocktail. Meanwhile the cinnamon had long gone out leaving the glass coated in smoke. The bartender flipped the glass over, putting in a large ice cube before pouring the cocktail with a strainer and topping it with orange and cinnamon as a garnish. Handing the drink to Luz he quickly went to work making another for Amity and in no time the two had their cocktails. Luz handed the tokens over and gave the man a tip as well as paying for the empanadas that quickly came. The two sat down at a nearby table."Salud Amity!" Luz said as the two drank their old fashioned."This is good." Amity said before taking a bite of her empanada.
"It was my Dads go to cocktail." Luz replied as she wiped crumbs from the empanada off her face. After 10 minutes the two had finished and made their way to the gift shop. Inside the gift shop they had for sale numerous types of rum. They also sold coquito, t-shirts, glasses, hats,bar mats and rum infused cigars. As they looked around unsure of what to buy Luz caught a glance of a large barrel at the end of the gift shop. It had the brand's logo on it. Next to it were empty bottles. "What is in the barrel?" Luz asked the employee behind the register. "Oh that's our 4 star rum. We give people the choice of buying it pre bottled or bottling it yourself at no extra charge." The man said. Luz thought for a moment."Ok then I'd like to bottle one for myself." She said as the employee walked from behind the register and towards the barrel."Okay then 1st we need to register your bottle please fill out the information on this paperwork and write the number on the bottle then we can begin." The man explained as Luz wrote in the necessary information on the paperwork. "Great, your bottle number is 11020. Please put these latex gloves on before you begin filling your bottle of rum" He said as he handed Luz the gloves along with a sharpie. Luz quickly put the gloves on before writing the number down on the bottle. The employee then placed the bottle down on a table before handing luz a tube attached to a chain. "This barrel thief will allow you to collect the rum and pour it into the bottle. Once it hits the bottom, wait 5 seconds before removing it." He explained to Luz as Amity was filming the whole thing. "How many times will I need to do this?" Luz asked.
" two and a half times. I'll tell you on the third pour when to stop ok." He explained as Luz lowered the thief into the barrel. Once she heard the thud of it hitting the bottom she waited 5 seconds before pulling it out revealing the dark brown liquid gold that it held. Grabbing the tube Luz held it as the employee placed a funnel on the the funnel was in place Luz began pouring as the bottle quickly began to fill. Once the thief was empty Luz lowered it again into the barrel and repeated the process. Halfway through the 3rd filling the bottle was full and the employee instructed Luz to dump the remaining rum back into the barrel. With that done he put the lid on it and they walked over to a hotplate where a bowl of melted wax was kept."Okay now we're gonna seal it with wax. You are gonna put it in upside down then rotate it 3-5 times then dip it a 2nd time and repeat the process. Once that is done we will put it on the table and stamp it and you're done." He explained as Luz took the bottle, lowering it into the hot wax, pulling it out and rotating the bottle before repeating it again and putting it down on the table as the employee stamped the bottle with the seal of Pedro Fernandez and inserted it in the cardboard container. With that out of the way Luz bought the bottle along with a 2nd 4 star for Eda. "As they left the visitor center with their bottles in tow Luz looked at Amity. "Enjoy the day sweet potato?" She asked."I did, it was fascinating to see how humans make their liquor." Amity replied. "Hey, how long do you think this bottle lasts with Eda? The man said it's best to save for special occasions." Luz asked."Knowing Eda probably not long." Amity remarked as the two headed for their car and back to the hotel.