Rum Style

Rum from Lara belongs to the Spanish style, a family shared by Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Venezuela. This refers to rather light, smooth rums made from molasses, column-distilled, aged in casks, and often filtered through charcoal. There's no formal standard for this style; it describes a tradition and an approach.

Venezuela adds something of its own. The designation of origin requires two years of oak aging, and at La Miel, copper stands alongside the column, with the pot still and batch kettle producing heavier spirits. The rum is therefore not distilled in one single style but blended from building blocks: light, medium, and heavy.

The difference from Jamaican rum lies in intensity. There, the pot still with its abundant fruit takes center stage; here, it's the balanced measure that counts. The gap is even greater with rhum agricole from the French islands, made from fresh sugarcane juice and tasting of grass and citrus, while Lara's rum carries notes of caramel, orange, and vanilla.

Typical of these rums is a sweetness that comes from the cask: vanilla, caramel, dried fruit, orange peel. Some bottlings are additionally sweetened, which is permitted in the EU up to 20 grams per liter and doesn't have to appear on the label.

Anyone looking to sort out the brands can rely on three groups. Reserva Exclusiva represents the dark, smooth blend of kettle and pot still. Mantuano, according to the house, blends all three distillation methods and ages for up to eight years. Planas is the pale counterpart, aged and then decolorized.

The profile below places the two signature styles from La Miel side by side: the blended Venezuela rum as described by the designation of origin, and the Blanco, which rests in cask first and then passes through charcoal.