Ron del Barrilito 3 Star Rum 750ml

Ron del Barrilito is Puerto Rico's oldest rum brand still in production, made by the Fernández family at Hacienda Santa Ana in Bayamón since 1880. The estate traces back to Fernando Fernández, a Spanish privateer granted the land in 1787, whose descendant Pedro Fernández studied engineering in France and returned home inspired by the meticulous blending and aging practices he observed in cognac production. Applying that approach to local rum, Pedro created the formula that remains the basis of the 3 Star expression today, a recipe the family has preserved essentially unchanged for well over a century.

The 3 Star is distilled from molasses in column stills at the historic Edmundo B. Fernández distillery, then blended and matured in Oloroso sherry casks imported from Spain for a minimum of several years, with the finished blend generally falling in the six to ten year range. These vintage sherry casks, rather than the ex-bourbon barrels common elsewhere in the Caribbean, give the rum its reddish hue and a flavor profile built around dried fruit and nuttiness instead of vanilla and coconut. No coloring, sugar, or flavoring is added.

The rum opens with almond, vanilla, and banana over a woody backbone, then moves into citrus peel, ripe melon, and caramel toffee on the palate, rounded out by baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg through a smooth, medium bodied finish.