Distillation

Dominican rum is mostly distilled in columns, also called continuous stills. A column is a tall tower with many plates, through which the mash flows from top to bottom while steam rises from below. At each plate, more water is left behind and more alcohol moves upward.

The advantage lies in continuous operation: the still runs non-stop rather than batch by batch like a pot still. The distillate becomes very pure and light, since many heavier compounds stay at the bottom. In the EU, rum may only be distilled below 96% ABV and must still clearly taste of rum afterward.

Often an activated-charcoal filter is added as well, smoothing out the distillate's last rough edges. A white rum from the region can thus be perfectly clear even after resting in a cask, since the color can be filtered back out. White, therefore, doesn't automatically mean young.

The house of Barceló, founded in Santo Domingo, bottles several lines under the name Ron Barceló. Blanco and Dorado have been part of the range since 1950, later joined by aged expressions such as Barceló Gran Añejo and Barceló Imperial. All of them trace back to a distillate that continues to develop in oak casks.

Before bottling, the strength is adjusted with water. For Dominican rum, it usually falls between 37.5% and 40% ABV, with 37.5% being the legal minimum in the EU. The column thus shapes the profile, while the cask only later adds character.