The world of great rummaking has long had its epicenter in the islands of the Caribbean – but the love and passion for making great rum is something that extends across the wider Caribbean Basin.

Nowhere is that more true than in Nicaragua, a country with a strong tradition of rum led by the world-famous Flor de Caña brand, a marque that dates back to 1890.

The company offers a broad range of rums, from four-year-old white rums to ultra-premium rums with age statements like 12, 18 and 25 years.

Flor de Cana takes its single-estate rums, using molasses from sugar cane grown in the area’s volcanic soil, and ages them in white oak former bourbon barrels sealed with plantain leaves, aged in the shadow of the still-active San Cristobal volcano.

It makes for a great story —  but how is the rum?

Rum Journal recently tasted the 18-year variety, an expression with an aroma of apricot, brown sugar and citron, with an earthy, robust flavor profile marked by notes of coffee bean, cacao, charcoal and coconut husk, among others.

What truly stands out is the balance — the flavor profile remains almost totally consistent from start to finish, an exceptionally well-rounded expression that is not easily found in other rums.

It’s outstanding.

Rum Journal Rating: 92 points

— Alexander Britell, who founded Rum Journal in 2012, is one of the world’s leading rum experts.