Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/46939
Roberto's investment in it at Destilería Serrallés. And although it has been adopted by other spirits producers, most other Caribbean rum distilleries continue to dump their waste water, into the ocean, for example, damaging this fragile ecosystem. Alchemy Roberto is an alchemist as well as an environmentalist. "That the magical side of rum-making is really in the aging, that interaction of the wood and the alcohol is a true alchemy." Destilería Serrallés hosts a roundtable of award-winning rums: Don Q Cristal, Don Q Gold and BlackBeard Spiced Rum all have their places. The cham- pion, however, is Don Q Gran Añejo, a blend of rums aged three to 12 years in American white oak and sherry barrels and utilizing small quantities of the spirit aged via a solera process, as well. "Solera," says Roberto, "adds beautiful earthy, musty notes to the blend that help make it so beautifully balanced and smooth." Accolades for Gran Añejo include a score of 93 points by THE TASTING PANEL, and on the evening of September 14, 2011, the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences (AAHS) awarded Gran Añejo its presti- gious 5 Star Diamond Award, a distinc- tion given to only three spirits previ- ously and never to a rum. In addition to this distinction, Félix J. Serrallés Jr. was surprised with a Lifetime Achievement Award for "the exponential growth of the Serrallés enterprise" and for his "dedication and philanthropic support to the community and environment of Puerto Rico." Treasure Among all the people present at the AAHS award ceremony was Esteban Ordonez, Corporate Mixologist and National Brand Ambassador at Serrallés USA. His tasting notes for Gran Añejo reads: "Its rich bouquet is intoxicating yet subtle. The first impres- sion is slightly sweet and nutty, giving way to a complex mid-palate of tropical dry fruit, pineapple and caramel with a perfectly balanced sweetness, spice and a little smoke. Its finish is a pro- nounced, harmonious, mellow alcohol taste with great length and refined complexity." Or is that Don Quixote rhapsodizing about his "lady to be in love with"? Inside Casa Don Q, Don Quixote—for which Don Q Rum is named—and his sidekick Sancho Panza, stand carved in wood, dreaming their dream and fighting the good fight. I'll have to read my Cervantes while enjoying Gran Añejo, then compare my notes. We experienced the history of the Serrallés family at Destilería Serrallés. november 201 1 / the tasting panel / 115