In December 2009 the Campari Group expanded her growing portfolio with Ron Santa Teresa, a Venezuelan brand with a rich tradition. Since 1896, the market leader in the Venezuelan rum market has been producing high quality molasses rum in the idyllic Aragua Valley in the north of the country.
The distillery produces both pot still rums and continuous still rums which are blended together after aging in Limousin and Bourbon casks for the statutory period of two years.
In addition to Santa Teresa Gran Reserva Añejo, which was tested in this issue, the distillery also offers Santa Teresa Claro, Santa Teresa Selecto, and Santa Teresa 1796 Solera, all of which are now available in Germany. The coffee liqueur ‘Araku’ and an orange liqueur – both, of course, with a rum base – are destined for other markets.
In contrast to the other rums, the flagship Santa Teresa 1796 is made using the Solera system, which is generally applied in sherry production. In this process, the casks are stored in several stacked rows, and when the content is tapped from casks on the bottom row, they are in turn refilled from the upper rows.
Ratings
"In the nose, slightly sharp with bitter notes, discreet fruits, a hint of vanilla and typical woody aromas. On the palate it has aromatic traces of almonds and caramel. Subtle fruity nuances with hints of vanilla, which are however suppressed by the piquancy of the alcohol. In direct comparison with a Cuban rum I find it lacks freshness: in a natural Daiquiri or in a Mojito it wasn’t really convincing. Even though the product is intended for mixing, I felt the packaging was somehow lacking something. Nonetheless, at 16 euros per bottle the decent quality represents good value for money."
Volker Seibert (Capri Lounge, Cologne)
"The packaging is rather mediocre, it reminds me of a supermarket product. In the nose it has an alcoholic tartness with caramel and cinnamon aromas. Taste-wise it is quite flat, spicy and short-lived. Again, caramel is dominant here. The general impression is that this product fails to maintain the quality of the other Santa Teresa products and is only of limited suitability for mixing."
Ricardo Albrecht (Lebensstern, Berlin)
Origin: Venezuela
Producer: Hacienda Santa Teresa
Distribution: Gruppo Campari
Price: approx. 16 euros (0.7l)
Alcoholic strength: 40% Vol.
Tanja Bempreiksz
