Banned For Public Disorder - El Ron Prohibido Rum

Something seductive has landed in my lap... it's a new rum!

This really is exciting as we have been trying to get hold of this unique rum since it was released last year. Let's just say that UK suppliers were a little thin (read non-existent!) on the ground but, true to form, we have triumphed where others have failed. The rum in question is called El Ron Prohibido Habanero and we are the first retailers in the whole of the UK to receive some. It is here now and it's quite simply delicious!

So why all the big fuss then? The name 'El Ron Prohibido Rum Habanero' is Spanish for "The Forbidden Rum"; with a name like that it had better have a good story behind it! Luckily it does and it goes like this. In the latter part of the 17th Century, the major European players were vying for control of the New World and cargo ships heavily laden with goods were arriving with increasing regularity to Mexico and the Americas. The Spanish bought casks of sweet red wine with them and, by all accounts, it didn't take them long to polish it off! Their attention soon turned to Chinguirito, a type of Mexican rum made from sugar cane and many long nights of fun ensued...

When it was time to go home back to Spain, everyone decided it would be a good idea to fill the old sweet wine barrels with the Chinguirito. On the voyage back, the rum started to mature in the  casks and absorbed characteristics of both the wood and residue wine. This new combination has an instant hit and it was named Ron Habanero due to the last stop in the New World  being Habana, Cuba. It proved equally popular once it landed back in Spain and was regarded as a very high quality product, the unusual combination of sweetness and bitterness an unaccustomed sensation on the palate.

It was a little too popular for its own good though and traders were concerned that Ron Habanero was damaging the sales of the local fare. Not only that, but people were consuming so much of the stuff that public order began to break down as the populace engaged in debauched and anti-social behaviour. Something had to be done so the King of Spain, one Felipe V De Borbon, decreed that Chinguirito was outlawed for sale and consumption by his subjects.

Luckily for you, me and every other rum lover, El Ron Prohibido Habanero is back and better than it ever was! Ron Prohibido is a premium, artisan rum produced under a 12 year solera system. It’s truly distinctive sweet and sour taste is acquired by combining rums of different aging profiles and blending in used raisin wine barrels. This blend results in a wide range of delicious aromas and flavours.

Appearance: Dark brown with a touch of red.
Nose: The first scent is sweet with great intensity of dry fruits, raisins, and prunes. The aroma includes a wide range of tones: vanilla, wood, walnut, butter, chocolate, and coffee.
Palate: Raisin, prune, walnut wood, with hints of chocolate and coffee.
Finish: Long and silky, with a touch of caramel and slightly bitter.

The Ideal Serve: It is ideally drunk straight to discover the wood bittersweet tones given to this premium rum by the unique fusion between the aged rum and the blending in the raisin wine barrels. However, it's your drink so do what you want with it! 

1. Extraction 
The first stage of the production is the extraction process. The cane is cut and squeezed in mills to extract the juice. After this first grinding, a small amount of water is added for a second extraction. The juice then is "altered and clarified to get rid of residues.

2. Fermentation
The next step is fermentation that is achieved by using yeast. Water is added to dilute the juice and get better results. After fermentation, the resulting liquid is called mosto or cane wine.

3. Distillation
The mosto, or cane wine, is then distilled in stills or distillation columns for large-scale industrial production.

4. Aging
The aging is usually in oak barrel. Different flavours and aromas can be obtained by varying the duration of the aging process.

5. Solera System
Under the solera system new batches of rum are mixed with older batches of rum. Combining rums of different ages yields a complete sensory profile. During fermentation and in its final step of production, Ron Prohibido is blended in used raisin wine barrels. This gives it sweet and bitter notes, making it different from other rums.