Talking sustainability with Luis Baez and Flor de Caña Rum
In honor of national rum day August 16 in the USA I am running a story on the most sustainable rum on the planet. I talked to Luis Baez during Tales of the Cocktail and found out just how serious Flor de Caña rum is about sustainability.
Can you introduce yourself?
I am Luis Baez, Brand Ambassador of Flor de Caña Rum from Nicaragua.
Do you come from a rum background?
I come from the entertainment side. I had a television show and radio show in Nicaragua and Flor de Caña was one of my sponsors. We cater to a lot of markets, so there was a need for another ambassador and I was happy to join the team. So I've been with the company for three years, but they were my sponsors for nine years before that, and I’ve been drinking the product for over 20 years, so I know it well.
How old is the company?
It’s 132 years old, since 1890. And we actually have a funny connection with New Orleans. Right now we're here at Tales, and we're talking about that. You know, without New Orleans Flor de Caña wouldn’t exist. Our founder—who was Italian, from Genova—Alfredo Francisco Pellas Canessa, decided to start a trade route through Nicaragua. He had steamships with Cornelius Vanderbilt, and they would go from New Orleans through Nicaragua to the west coast of California before the Panama Canal was built. It was the narrowest section and we have huge lakes. So you can come in through a river that takes you to the lake and then it's just a very small area that you have to go through on land to get to the Pacific. Once the Panama Canal started getting built, it was just a matter of time before the business took a hit, so he found another option. Being from Italy, he knew that volcanic soil was very rich, so he decided to put his sugar mill there and to celebrate that first harvest, they did their first distillation in 1890. And the rest is history as they say. And I would definitely say that we've perfected the art of rum making.
You mentioned sustainability is very important for the company, tell me about it.
When people think of sustainability they immediately think green, which is great, but there are other aspects. We were the first to offer health and education to our workers in a private company back in 1913, way before any social service existed in Nicaragua. Sustainability for our community. The three areas are community, workers, and obviously, the environment, and we have the certifications that back us up. We are the only spirit brand in the world that has both Carbon Neutral Certification and Fair Trade certification. And if we want to go even further, what my mentor calls the triple crown: we have the Bonsucro certification, which guarantees the sustainable production of our sugar cane. Remember, we are a single estate rum, so we own and control every aspect of the production process, from field to bottle.
What does Bonsucro mean?
Bonsucro is the largest global industry organization that promotes the sustainable production of sugarcane. So they push for sustainability on sugarcane growth and we've had that certification for a few years now. Our carbon footprint is monitored and we compensate by planting 50,000 trees every year, since 2007. We capture all CO2 emissions during the fermentation process, put it in tanks and sell it to the carbonated drink and beer industry. We have a zero waste mentality. So when we squeeze the cane, part of it becomes sugar, and part of it is made into molasses which becomes rum. All the leftover sugarcane fiber has been used as biomass for the past 12 years. And that's how we distill with 100% renewable energy. Everything across the line is reused, repurposed.
You are also fair trade, right?
Fair Trade looks at us from 300 different standards. Some are based on labor practices, some are in community and some are in environment, and we comply with all of them. We've had these certifications for a few years now. So we can absolutely say we are the most eco-friendly and sustainable rum on the planet. That's why we came to Tales to kick off the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge. As a company, we know we’re doing things right. We thought, how can we include the bartending community? Because we want to be the leaders in the sense where we do things right, and we inspire others to do things correctly as well. The contest is really cool. We ask bartenders to create a sustainable cocktail. That just means that you're using Fair Trade products, that you're repurposing products, giving them a second life.
And that's so popular right now. Is this a North American contest or is it worldwide?
It’s worldwide. We had 32 countries participate in the last one; the past winner was from the UK, Manachain Monaghan from Below Stairs Bar. This is the first time we brought it to the US. We just kicked it off yesterday at Tales and the winner will go to Nicaragua.
One of the judges in the final last year was Salvatore Calabrese. A true icon in hospitality. We couldn’t do it in Nicaragua because it was semi digital, but we flew our judges to Madrid and we hired really good bartenders as “avatars” to make the cocktails. All 32 contestants sent their recipes and the avatars remade them so that the judges could try it. Because we don't want to choose just by what's written, we have to have the visual, based on what the contestants said. We wanted to make sure that it's built the way that they like. But of course the taste is important too.
We kicked off our US competition here at Tales and we had a great time. Julio Cabrera did a bit of a Master Class and served some sustainable cocktails. It was pretty cool.
Where do you live now?
Managua, Nicaragua.
Okay, so as a global brand ambassador, you just come and go from home.
It's funny, my title says global brand ambassador, but I am mostly in the United States. We have another brand ambassador that pretty much takes care of Europe. And then we have the senior ambassador who goes anywhere at any time.
So it's growing in Europe.
It's great. It's growing strongly, doing really well. As people discover our brand, they’re really surprised and impressed by its quality and smooth flavor.
As you said, it’s a very old brand So where was your main market?
It was local, I would say up until the late 50s, when we started shipping to Costa Rica. We didn't become global until the 90s. Today we are in over 70 countries across the globe.
So, did you make a big change in your production?
Yes. During the 80’s the company took the strategic decision of storing large quantities of rum as a back up reserve. Today, that reserve is one of the largest of aged rum in the world. This gives us the ability to offer an amazing liquid aged for 25 or even 30 years.
Are a lot of rums aging their products like you are?
It's certainly growing in the rum sector.
Do you add anything for the color?
No. it’s all natural. The aroma is natural, the taste is natural. We take a lot of pride in having no added sugars and no artificial ingredients.
But legally rums can add color and sugar, right?
Yes., In our case, we dont— we have a natural production process we’re really proud of.
Do you use the Solera method of aging?
No. If it says 25 years on the bottle, that’s the guaranteed minimum age of the liquid.
Now it’s time to taste.
We will start with Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum.
That’s the youngest you have?
We have a 7 and a 4 year, but they are mostly for the local market, so for abroad we focus on the Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum and the higher-end of the portfolio.The Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum is my warhorse. I can do anything with it, I will take that anywhere. I will drink a cocktail, I will drink it neat, I will drink it with ice, just water. It is such a great and well-balanced rum, super smooth and silky in the mouth.
(I taste it)
It’s very subtle, very little burn. It does have a prolonged finish. What do you perceive?
I get some molasses, citrus, some vanilla; it reminds me of a whisky.
Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. We age all our rum in bourbon barrels.
Do you use different bourbon brands?
Yes, our barrels come from a variety of different bourbon producers.
Doesn’t that change the taste of the batches?
Well, not really-- it comes from the wood and the char more than the actual brand. We ask for a specific char.
What’s next?
Now we are going to the Flor de Caña 18 Year Rum, the 5 senses tasting experience. This is the people pleaser. We use a nice glass and first we are going to use our sense of sight and put the glass up to the light. You see that beautiful amber color, and you remember it is all natural. And when you swirl it you see the legs. You see how thick and slow running the legs are. You don’t get anything watery from this rum.
Now let's explore its aroma. It has a beautiful nose with many layers. What do you perceive?
Honey and wood, roasted almonds, almost peaches…
Funny you mention that! I was just talking with a master taster today and he said: don’t be surprised if someone says peaches, because the aroma of almonds and peaches is activated by the same olfactory area.
Now, time to taste?
Very creamy and silky going down It feels a lot richer than the Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum, I call it the second button effect; you feel it on the second button of your shirt, that’s where you feel it in your chest
It’s lovely and peppery. I really like it.
It's lovely to just sip neat, but you could mix it with ice, sparkling water, or here it is with a twist of orange.
The essential oil really brightens it up, on the nose and on the palate. You would almost hate to add ice to it.
But here's the thing: I come from Nicaragua and it's really hot there, and when it’s hot I don't want to drink this without ice, but it is a nice sipping rum you can drink neat. When I’m having my cigar at night, no ice, but if I’m at a barbecue, yes.
The next sense we are going to do is touch. Now, you’re probably thinking, how the hell are we going to do that? Well, it's very simple. So, put a few drops in your hand and cup your hands to your nose to get that wonderful aroma. Now rub your hands together.
It’s not sticky!
Yeah, it’s a nice party trick, as I said, it's a people pleaser. And you can’t fake it.
Now the last sense is hearing. No, I’m not going to have you put the bottle up to your ear; it’s the clink of the glass as you say Salud. Cheers to a greener future.
So what about this 25 year?
We consider it the crown jewel of the portfolio, although we do have a 30 year that is a single barrel. That bottle goes for about $1,800 and it has a volcanic rock as the cap. It’s a collector’s item.
The Flor de Caña 25 Year Rum is accessible, it goes for about $200 and it is really fantastic. Why don’t you nose it and see the differences between it and the Flor de Caña 18 Year Rum.
It smells stronger, like there’s more alcohol in it.
You would think that, right? But it’s actually just the same. 40 ABV.
It's not as fruity.
A lot less fruity. The wood punches you immediately. You get a little bit of cocoa in there too. You know maybe you get a little bit of caramel in there too. I like this nose has so many layers to it—I’ll nose it now and get one thing, then I’ll come back and get something different.
Is it like wine that you have to decant?
I don't know but it's actually a great suggestion. Because I can guarantee you that I do feel differences as I go along. Isn’t it beautiful? This is a lot more bold. It's like a whole mouth experience. Right? I love using this to pair it with some dark chocolate to use 70% chocolate with this. That's your dessert. That's it. You don't need anything else.
It's funny I didn't get a sweetness on the nose but I get a sweetness on the palate.
Yeah, that's what I feel, it's cocoa for me, that’s why it pairs beautifully with dark chocolate. It's really nice, really well balanced. But bold.
Lovely. And as for your sustainable cocktails competition—how does that work?
For the US, bartenders have from now until August 31 to sign up. We will choose the top 40 cocktails in the US and they will participate in 4 city finals. So there's going to be a final in Boston for 10 people and a final in Miami for 10, 10 in Austin and 10 in Los Angeles. Then we'll choose those 4 winners to go to Nicaragua to compete for the North American regional against themselves and 2 people from Canada.
So once we have the North American winner-- the Latin America we have already picked-- the winner is from Panama. The European contest is in October at Bar Convent in Berlin, and then the Asia winner is sometime in September. So those four winners are going to Nicaragua in February of 2023. And participate for the global championship. And they're going to be competing for $10,000.
Wow. So why did you decide to do a cash prize?
We think that it's a great way to create an incentive for the bartenders. One thing that we found was that a lot of the complaints are that there are not very many cash prices in these competitions.
Yes, I interviewed Adrian Lopez from Hanky Panky in Mexico who won a 10,000 dollar scholarship and it changed his life.
I actually interviewed him in a podcast once. He's a friend of the brand in Mexico. He’s great. You have to get to Hanky Panky and Mexico City.
How many trips have you organized to Nicaragua for bartenders?
We’ve done quite a few over the past years, obviously we had to scale back during the pandemic.
I’ve noticed that especially with the agave based producers: once people have a local experience, once they set foot on the soil, where it came from, they become your ambassadors. And also to see the workers and see what you're doing for the people that are there.
We have the Flor de Caña tour. We go to the distillery in the middle of a regular working day. And you see the whole process. It's awesome. Because you see everything, it’s not staged.
I think you probably have people that have worked for the company for years.
Generations. Our Maestro Ronero; his father started working for the company. And he went to the free school that the company has for the workers. Now, one of his sons works for the brand as well. So three generations of his family have been part of the company.
Is it a school just for the employee’s families?
Yes. Because it's a big operation: they employ thousands of people. It provides free education for the children of employees, all the way through high school.
Why are you proud to be a Nicaraguan?
Oh man. Let me take a sip first! I think based on my experience because I interviewed a lot of people in my life. And I feel like I'm a communicator at heart. So I like to talk to people. And I've had a chance to travel and I've had a chance to meet people who've been to my country. And I would say that that pride kind of changes through time. In the beginning, it's because you're taught to love your country and that’s just the way it is, but once you get a little bit older and you start seeing and meeting people, and how much they love Nicaragua, that makes you proud. Anyone who steps foot into Nicaragua leaves enamored with the country, every person who goes there will have a great experience because if there's one thing we are, its we're very warm as a people, and very hospitable-- we love hosting. You know, it’s just ingrained in our culture.
And your geography?
We have Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. I think my country is beautiful, obviously. We have volcanoes and huge lakes, you can go on hikes and see the lava popping. Beautiful. You go to our lake and that lake has hundreds of little islets that were made from the explosion of another volcano next to it. Those are now privately owned so there are hotels and houses there. Then we have on that same lake we have this one island, Ometepe, from the Nahuatl word meaning two mountains, that has two volcanoes on the island, right in the middle of a lake, it’s so beautiful and so peaceful.
What is the best time of the year to go to Nicaragua?
I like it when it's green. Starting in May, between May and October, is when we get the rainy season. So it's nice and green. November is a great time because it's still green and it's not raining, and a little bit cooler. We get a lot of winds in November, December and January. So I would say that November is probably your best bet. March is beautiful. You want to go to the ocean and the beach, but it's really hot. But some people love the heat.
How often are you away from Nicaragua?
I probably travel once a month right now for about one week, a month. I have two kids and they learn English in school. I talk to them often and they are at the age of “Dad, what are you bringing me?” (laughs)
Do you think either of your kids will follow in your footsteps?
I just want them to follow their passion, like I always have. I love what I do: it’s easy with a brand like Flor de Caña.
Five questions for Luis
If you couldn't live in Nicaragua where would you choose to live?
In the USA, so many wonderful places to choose from.
Your favorite cigar to pair with Flor de Caña rum?
I'd say anything from AJ Fernandez or Padron pair very nicely with our rums
Your secret passion that has nothing to do with rum?
I love to read, I am an epic fantasy novel geek, if it has dragons and magic I want to read it.
Are you a beach or a city person?
I love the beach but wouldn’t want to live there, does that make me a city person?
If you were a millionaire tomorrow what is the first thing you would splurge on?
A beach house and a boat! Maybe i AM a beach person...