Rum from Guatemala

The rum industry emerged in the 19th century, but it was not until the end of the 20th century that Guatemalan rum set out to conquer the world. As early as 1946, the distinction was made between aguardiente and Ron de Guatemala, which must have aged for at least one year. Since 1940 exists the Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala (ILG) founded by the Botran brothers, producers of the rum of the same name. In 1976, the ILG created Zacapa rum on the occasion of the centenary of the eponymous small town, Zacapa, meaning “On the river of grass”. This rum made a spectacular move upmarket in the 2010s. Pasador rum, founded by French people, is also distilled and aged in Guatemala, then in France to benefit from refining in Cognac barrels. The Rons de Guatemala comply with a Denomination of Controlled Origin (DOC) implemented in 2010. This requires the production of rum from cane honey (heated cane juice), and it must be aged at altitude with the solera method.