It all started with a crazy trip to Latin America. The two friends became enchanted with Salvador and awakened an unexpected enthusiasm. Neither of them believed that this small country would captivate them, but that's exactly what happened. Thurman ...
It all started with a crazy trip to Latin America. The two friends became enchanted with Salvador and awakened an unexpected enthusiasm. Neither of them believed that this small country would captivate them, but that's exactly what happened. Thurman Wise and Pepij Janssens remained fascinated by its immaculate beauty and rawness. This trip left them with a desire to present the world with a product that would capture El Salvador in its purest form. And Ron Colón Salvadoreño was born.
Detail:
When the colonizers of the New World traded with the indigenous people, they often used rum as a form of currency. Sugar cane and its products were to the world powers then what oil is to them today. It was common for wars to be fought over sugar and rum. Later, however, money came along and rum ceased to be a means of payment.
At the end of the 19th century, the then government of El Salvador decided to rename its Salvadoran peso 'colón' in honour of Christopher Columbus, the 'discoverer' of America. The colón remained El Salvador's currency until 2001, when it was replaced by the US dollar. The combination of these two ideas - rum as a currency and a new name for the Salvadoran peso - gave rise to the brand name Ron Colón.
The brand aims to bridge new worlds. Examples include Ron Colón Salvadoreño Coffee Infused Rum, which combines rum and coffee, and RumRye, an equal partnership of rum and rye whiskey. Another product is Rumzcal, which combines rum and mezcal.
Flavour profile:
Ron Colón Salvadoreño Rumzcal is 66% Ron Colón Salvadoreño rum and 33% Maguay Espadín mezcal.
Ron Colón combines three ingredients in a unique recipe. The most important of these is the six-year-old rum from El Salvador, which is produced at the local Licorera Cihuatán distillery. It is complemented by two Jamaican pot still rums: one a three-year-old from the Worthy Park distillery and the other a blend of unaged rums from the Worthy Park, Hampden and Monymusk distilleries. The blend of these rums creates a specific flavour profile.
Maguay is a family business founded by a mother and son and now run by the fourth generation. For six decades they have been using the same artisanal methods that have produced the best mezcal in Oaxaca. From the sowing and hand-harvesting of the agave with coa machetes to the cooking of piñas (the core of the agave stripped of its leaves) for several days in a 1963 stone oven, followed by grinding with a horse-drawn millstone. The ground mixture of agave juice and fibres is transferred into wooden vats and left to ferment for approximately three days (depending on the weather). The final step is double distillation in copper pot stills.
The aroma of Rumzcal is full of earthy 'funk', smoky notes and a subtle sweetness added by the rum. The taste is initially dominated by the typical mezcal notes: earthiness, smoke and charcoal. Only then does the rum sweetness and a hint of tropical fruit come in.
Producer/importer:
What started as a passion project between two friends soon grew into a team of professionals. Headed by Thurman Wise and Pepij Janssens, they were responsible for the idea of enclosing the liquefied essence of Salvador in a rum bottle. Andres Trigueros and his family from Jags Heads Coffee are also an important part of the team.
