Process
A 500 Year Old Tradition
Throughout the centuries, the recipe for Paraguay’s best kept secret has remained unpretentious and unchanged: A perfect balance of the freshest natural ingredients, generations of refinement, and the uncompromising pursuit of excellence. The result: The perfect full bodied premium sipping rum with extreme smoothness and distinguished aromas.
At El Supremo Rum, we are proud to carry on this tradition.
On fertile lands
With its languorous tropical climate and fertile lands, Paraguay is home to the freshest sugar cane. Our cane is sustainably sourced from local farmers who continue to utilize traditional harvesting methods passed down to them from generations past.
Paraguay is also home to the Guarani Aquifer, named after the local indigeneous Guarani people. The aquifer is the world’s 2nd largest catchment of fresh groundwater, spanning over 1.2 million square kilometers. The sweet spring water remains unexposed to contamination and is used in our distillation process to further enhance the quality of El Supremo Rum.
Caña Paraguaya
Our sugar cane is patiently hand-cut and harvested, then loaded onto carretas and pulled by oxen to well-worn mills. The caña is ground and squeezed until the juice is extracted, then filtered and reduced in large vats over open fire for nine hours until it reaches a honey state. The honey is left to ferment for three days before being distilled in copper columns still. Finally, the famous Caña Paraguaya is ready for aging.
Incienso Marrón
Our rum is famously aged in towering vats made of Incienso Marrón wood. This native Paraguayan wood is what imparts both a special flavor and color to El Supremo Rum. Hard yet porous, this unique timber allows greater oxidation, increasing the complexity and intensity of our rum while giving it a distinctive smoky aroma. The tannins impart a beautiful deep amber color, as well as caramel, toffee and nutty flavors.
After years of aging, the aged rum is transferred from the Incienso Marrón barrels to French Oak casks for its final maturation. This patient process amongst timbers is what ensures the body, bouquet and flavor of El Supremo Rum. The result is a smooth, amber coloured rum with perfectly balanced aromas.
A remarkable paradox in cask cooperage indeed.
Embotellado
After maturation, the spirit finally begins a ten-day journey in long barges, pulled and pushed by tugs from Asunción to Montevideo. From here, the liquid gold is quickly rushed across the Atlantic to Bordeaux in France for final tasting, filtration, bottling, labeling and shipping worldwide.
