MARK ANTHONY WINES x S

Not much has changed for Flor de Caña in the 135 years since it was founded in 1890 by Italian adventurer Alfredo Francisco Pellas Canessa, near the Pacific coast of Nicaragua—a.k.a. the land of lakes and volcanoes.

This storied rum distillery is still located on the same patch of land at the base of San Cristóbal volcano, it’s still family-owned, and this cane-to-bottle rum is still additive-free and patiently oak-aged according to long-standing tradition and exacting house standards.

There is, however, one major development to report, namely, that this eco-conscious distillery has redoubled its efforts when it comes to sustainability and reducing its carbon footprint. In addition to its flagship aged rums, such as the ultra-smooth, rich, and complex Flor de Caña Centenario 12 Year Rum and the truly decadent 25-year-old, the core lineup now includes a release that celebrates all the hard work on sustainability—Flor de Caña Eco-15, a carbon-neutral, fair trade certified, 15-year-old rum that’s distilled with 100 percent renewable energy.

We recently sat down with Christopher Mosey, Canadian brand ambassador, to learn more about Nicaragua’s legendary rum distillery, Flor de Caña.

Traditions, such as keeping things additive-free, are taken
very seriously.

“At Flor de Caña, we’ve always honoured our traditions. Our first still fired up in 1890 to produce small batches of rum to share with employees to celebrate the end of the harvest season. And that rum was aged in oak barrels, without additives, and that’s how we like to do it to this day. It takes a lot of work and, most importantly, a lot of time, to create a rum as smooth and flavourful as Flor de Caña without adding sugar or additives. Instead, we let our carefully selected barrels shape our spirit and, in the process, create something unique, a dry rum that’s calorically similar to ultra-premium vodkas but is still full of robust flavour.”

Bartenders are loyal to Flor de Caña, in part, because they appreciate the lack of added sugar.

“Dry rums put the art of balance back into the hands of mixologists, allowing them to dictate the final sweetness of a cocktail instead of them being hamstrung by an overly sweet rum.”

Flor de Caña is a single estate rum, which means it has a unique opportunity to implement the highest standards at every step of the process—from cane to bottle.

“From planting our own sugar cane in carefully selected fields at the base of Nicaragua’s tallest active volcano, to using 100 percent renewable energy for the distillation process, every action we take contributes to the experience of Flor de Caña rums.”

This distillery earned its “carbon neutral” certification in 2020.

“This amazing milestone was achieved thanks to initiatives such as capturing all CO₂ emissions during fermentation, generating renewable energy with biomass, and having planted over one million trees. This certification means we offset 100 percent of our emissions during the entire life cycle of our product, from field to market. The CO₂ emissions we capture during the fermentation process are then sold to carbonated drinks industries in the region. Sidenote, Flor de Caña 18 Year, sparkling water, and a slice of orange…chef ’s kiss.”

In addition, the distillery is also fair trade certified and proud to have an ambitious renewable energy program.

“After crushing our sugar cane, we’re left with fibres called ‘bagasse’ that we use as a biomass, so we literally grow all the fuel we need, and then some. In fact, during harvest times, we have more clean energy than we can possibly use, so we direct our excess energy to the Nicaraguan power grid, offering sustainably produced electricity to the people of Nicaragua. There’s just so much that makes this rum special.”

Discover more about Flor de Caña here.