Rum, Ecuador

El Amparo is a pure single rum from Ecuador, produced in the city of Jipijapa, in the Manabí province, Carlos Baque Zorrilla is the producer of this “aguardiente”.

It is made from a variety of sugar cane that is commonly called Cubana Negra. Cultivated and harvested following the precepts of traditional, rustic agriculture, it is harvested by hand between September and January, the cane, aged 18 months at the time. Fermentation starts naturally and is carried out by indigenous yeasts in vats of between 1,000 and 3,000 litres. It lasts 5 to 7 days, depending on the sugar concentration of the must at time of harvest. Distillation is carried out discontinuously in a 500-litre copper still, with the distillate leaving the still around 60% ABV.