Barceló Imperial

The Dominicans and Haitians share one island - Hispaniola, but they are divided by race, culture, language, and most significantly, their contrasting historical experiences. As a consequence, their current levels of prosperity and development diverge significantly.

The Dominican sugar industry constantly craves for a workforce, but the daily wage of $2.35 for harvesting one and a half tons of sugarcane doesn't seem attractive to the locals. The leaders of neighboring countries reached an agreement (1952-1986), allowing cheap labor from Haiti to work in the Dominican plantations. Numerous 'bateys' emerged in the sugarcane fields, although the living conditions were/are far from what was promised. In 1980, the Barceló Imperial brand was created. Its name causes dissonance for me. I might not fully comprehend the metaphorical meaning.

I like the exquisite design: a bottle with a wide front and narrow width adorned with elegant glass embossing. The online presentation maintains an exclusive black theme, but the content raises questions. The previous version of the corporate website contained a generic description of the production process, which didn't provide insight into the specifics of creating different rum variations. In the newer version, this part has been further reduced, while more focus is given to certifications like Carbon Neutral SGS or Bilan Carbone®. While the aesthetics are impressive, as a consumer, I am genuinely interested in knowing precisely what the bottle contains, and I hope to find this information from an official and trustworthy source.

Asociación Dominicana de Productores de Ron (ADOPRON) advocates for the raw materials to come from the Dominican Republic and undergo the entire process of fermentation, distillation, and aging for at least a year in oak barrels within the country. Regulations also require that the numerical declaration on the bottle reflects the minimum aging period of the rum. Consequently, to adhere to these regulations, the Imperial label omits specific age numbers.

The sugar cane used in the production comes from their own plantations in the province of 'San Pedro de Macoris,' where the air humidity remains at approximately 90%, and the average temperature is 30°C. The extracted sugar cane juice undergoes a 24-hour fermentation and is then heated to form syrup, known as virgin sugar cane honey, which qualifies for year-round production. Distillation takes place in five-column stills. The blends are left to mature in oak barrels previously used for Kentucky bourbon for a period of four to ten years. Finally, before bottling, the end product is sweetened to a level of 16g/l.