There are myths surrounding Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 Rum. Self-created myths, to be exact. And then there’s reality.
The myth: The rum is produced by a family that founded one of the island’s first distilleries in Cuba in 1820 (they later emigrated to the Dominican Republic in 1960).
The reality: The rum is produced by a Cuban-Dominican family that first began producing rum in Cuba sometime around 1860. However, that distillery was one of several, not one of the first, distilleries on the island. The family then moved to the Dominican Republic, where it has been producing the spirit ever since.
The myth: The family’s production of Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 is modeled after the special barrels of rum that the family reserved for governors of Cuba in the 19th century.
The reality: The family’s Cuban distillery did not produce rum for the island’s bourgeois. Moreover, the Cask 21 is distinct from the rums the family has long produced because of its smooth character, which contrasts with their typical spirits featuring a signature alcoholic bite.
Despite lacking the distinct pedigree it claims, Vizcaya is a complex sipping rum that won best rum in show at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition last year, as well as received a double gold designation at the New York International Spirits Competition.
That acclaim comes because of Vizcaya’s spicy, slightly smoky nose and intricate tangy, honeyed flavor.
The rum is produced in the method agricole style, which means it is distilled from sugar cane juice, known as guarapa, before being aged in used bourbon barrels.
The distillers then blend rums ranging from 8 to 22 years old to produce a smooth, complex spirit.
While its packaging suggests that it is a Cuban formula rum, that, too, is a bit misleading because it isn’t a rum that Cubans would like, said the brand’s New York-based owner, Ric Giuliano.
“Cubans don’t like a smooth rum,” he said. “I do. That’s why this is basically a Cuban rum with a touch of New York City added to it.”
Try it
Vizcaya VXOP Cask 21 is an amber dark rum with a slightly smoky, spicy nose, and an intricate tangy, honeyed flavor. Cost: about $35
