Museum of Rum in eastern Cuba offers a world of knowledge about the beloved beverage

It is impossible to visit the city of Santiago de Cuba for the first time without dropping by the Museum of Rum, now located in the Santiago de Cuba Rum Factory of the Cuba Ron S.A. Corporation, a new and greater value-adding venue that allows to know the history of the liquor and even witness the production process in the bottling area.

A tour through the three rooms takes visitors back to the origins of rum-making, from the introduction of sugar cane into the island to the subsequent journey of this crop throughout the country, a task largely pioneered by Catalonian immigrants, who brought the stills of the sugar mills closer to the local docks and railroads to facilitate transportation and trade.

The second room provides information on famous Cuban Rum Master and historical productions, whereas while the third is a replica of the Don Pancho aging warehouse, which describes the cooperage process and its secrets and exhibits old rum-making machines.
At the end of the tour comes a long-awaited moment: the tasting of a rum drink and the Caracol chain’s invitation to purchase a favorite brand.

Opened on June 24, 1996, the museum was originally located in the old section of the city, but then it was moved to the local rum factory as a commercial strategy.

Santiago de Cuba is the birthplace of light rum, historically linked to the development of the country since the times of the meeting of two cultures and the arrival of sugar cane, the main raw material for rum production.

Undoubtedly prestigious worldwide, Cuban rum is aged in casks zealously guarded by the Masters, who are the main keepers of the treasured wooden barrels.