SANTA TERESA 1796 Venezuela Solera Rum, 40% ABV, 70cL / 700mL

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The finish is long, smooth, sweet, with dried fruit notes, some caramel and a lingering sweet pepperiness. That’s not true for all countries, however. The definition of an age statement can vary significantly. In some places, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia the Dominican Republic, for example, the age statement can reflect the average age of the blend rather than its youngest component. That definition can bring the stated age statement more in line with the average age of a solera’s contents.

Soleras are a way of maintaining consistency across an expression since each bottling represents a blend of all of the previous liquids produced, although the average age of the blend will be heavily weighted toward the younger components. In the case of Santa Teresa 1796, each bottle is a blend of rums ranging in age from 35 years to 5 years. The older rums, however, are only a small proportion of the overall blend. Some critics condemn the practice and believe it detracts from the rum adding an artificial quality. Others see nothing wrong with it. I’m in the latter camp, although I wish, for the sake of transparency, that producers disclosed the practice and the dosage. Maturation is in a combination of ex-bourbon barrels of American oak and in French Limousin oak some of which previously held wine or Cognac.The house is helmed by fifth-generation chairman and CEO Alberto Vollmer, who said of its presence in Singapore: “We are delighted to introduce our award-winning Santa Teresa 1796 Rum to the vibrant and mature market of Singapore. Our rum carries a rich legacy of heritage and craftsmanship, and we are the third oldest rum producer in the world, with every product in the bottle sourced from our single estate, the Hacienda Santa Teresa.” Registered in 1909, the Santa Teresa brand boasts the title of Venezuela’s very first rum trademark – as well as proudly carrying the “Ron de Venezuela” (Rum of Venezuela) DOC label. A solera is a system of fractional blending that originated in the sherry producing zone of Andalucía. In a sherry solera, the liquid is moved through a tier of barrels where a portion is mixed with previously aged sherry. Each tier is called a criadera (cradle). The bottom tier is called the solera. The term solera is also used to describe the entire process. As contents are drawn off, the sherry is replaced with sherry from the next highest tier in the solera and so forth. When sherry from the highest tier (the youngest) is drawn off it is replaced with newly produced sherry.

Santa Teresa is the first rum producer in Venezuela, originating from the valley of Aragua, its story started as a sugar cane plantation in 1796 and remains to this day as a family-owned business. Santa Teresa rums have been produced at Hacienda Santa Teresa for more than two centuries and are now present in more than 40 countries. Registered in 1909, the Santa Teresa brand boasts the title of Venezuela's very first rum trademark – as well as proudly carrying the "Ron de Venezuela" (Rum of Venezuela) DOC label. The practice can be confusing when the age of the solera appears on a bottle because the stated age of a solera has nothing to do with the age of the liquid drawn from it or the average age of the blend. Crafted withwhisky aficionados in mind, Santa Teresa 1796 Speyside Cask Finish delivers a familiar yet enticingly distinct flavor profile compared to our flagship rum, featuring a sweet yet smoky aroma and flavor profile for an enticing yet familiar sipping occasion.

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On the palate, the rum is very creamy with an oily, syrupy consistency and a noticeable palate weight. It’s sweet, almost candied, with notes of dried fruit, vanilla, brown sugar and a bit of dark chocolate, along with some banana, cinnamon spice and some pepperiness. In the US, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), requires that the age statement on a bottle of spirits reflects the age of the youngest component of the blend. A 20 YO rum can consist of a blend of 20 YO and older rums, but it cannot contain rums that are younger than 20 YO even if it is just a fraction. The UK and the European Union have similar rules. Among rum producers, so do Jamaica and Barbados, among others.