The Oriente region of Cuba, in the south east of the island, has been known as the Cradle of Light Rum since 1862. Located between the mountains and the sea, this verdant land is an unsurpassed microclimate.
Here, the baking heat of the Caribbean sun, the humidity of the land and the sea perfectly entwine to create the optimum conditions for cultivating sugar cane, enriching the ageing process and bringing unique personality to the rum.
Each country generally holds its own regulations regarding production. In Cuba, in addition to the general regulation for the production of rums, there are specific regulations for rums that carry the DOP.
All Cuban Rum with DOP must be produced from Cuban sugarcane molasses, and it must all be column distilled to ensure a lighter style of rum.
Finally, there are strict ageing requirements that need to be followed. There are a minimum of two ageing stages, with specifications on temperature and size/type of barrel. After the initial blending and filtration stage, the resulting rum (considered to now have zero months of age) is blended with high proof distillate and re-barrelled for yet more ageing. The age declaration corresponds to the age of the youngest rum used in the blend.