As I said, he gifted us with one of Nicaragua's three principal exports - the run, coffee (he remarked that Starbuck's is better) and cigars. Our local tobacco store owner told me that next to Cuba, Nicaraguan cigars are the most popular.
The squat, heavy bottle is labeled "Flor de Cana Centenario" and it was aged in an oak barrel for 12 (long) years. Flor de Cana (cane flower) was founded as a company for commercial sales in 1937, but back in 1890 it was in production at the San Antonio Mill, which was cranking it out for the locals. In 1937 the owners decided to go commercial and market it.
In 1950 the firm decided distribution was needed and so it formed the Grupa Pellas to handle that. By 1959, Flor de Cana was being exported to Venezuela, Costa Rica and other South and Central American cities. It had begun winning awards, too. The firm now has been awarded more than 100 international awards, just since 2,000.
He told us that the distillery tour lasts maybe two hours and starts with a brief video about the place and history. during the actual tour, the guide opened a bottle and gave each guest a shot of rum and a lecture. "Good rum should affect all five of your senses," he said, "smell, taste, scent, feel ..." To illustrate "feel" he urged them to dip their fingers in the rum and rub them together. "See!" he crowed - "no stickiness! That's because we do not use any additives in our run."
Said rum is 37 per cent alcohol so I would guess that there's no room for additives. How do you "hear" a bottle of Flor de Cana? The cheers when the host brings it out from behind the bar!
Bev-Mo has a selection of these Flor de Cana rums. bevmo.com
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