Nicaragua’s Flor de Caña has taken the crown as the Green Distillery of the Year at the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. 

The annual event is the Caribbean’s leading celebration of the finest rums in the world. 

The company won the award for its “broad commitment to sustainability and industry-leading example for green rum-making,” according to a statement from the Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth. 

“We’re deeply honored to have received the award of “Green Distillery of the Year”, it not only validates the tremendous efforts we’ve made as a distillery to be as eco-friendly as possible, it also encourages us to continue down this path of sustainability, aiming to build a greener future for generations to come,” said Mauricio Solórzano, global ambassador for Flor de Caña. The brand has also planted 800,000 trees since 2005.

“Sustainability has been a core value of the founding family since the first generation back in 1890, with a holistic approach towards the well-being of employees, the environment and the community,” Solórzano told Caribbean Journal. 

Some of these sustainability efforts include a Carbon Neutral Certification issued by Carbon Trust, along with Fair Trade Certification issued by Fair Trade USA. 

The former means the distillery compensates all carbon emissions during the entire life cycle of its products. 

The Fair Trade Certification means the brand complies with more than 300 rigorous labor, social and environmental standards. 

“Flor de Caña is not only sustainably made, it is also a single estate rum,” says Solórzano. “This means we own and control the entire production process of the rum (from field to bottle), ensuring we adopt sustainable practices every step of the way. Our raw material is Fair Trade and Bonsucro certified. During the fermentation process, we capture and recycle all CO2 emissions. The distillation process is powered with 100% renewable energy, generated by using bagasse as biomass. And finally, we age our rums naturally, without sugar, artificial ingredients or additives of any kind.” 

It’s a testament to the company’s commitment to its terroir; Flor de Caña is set five miles from Nicaragua’s most active and tallest volcano, San Cristobal; the land is fertilized with volcanic ash, and the hot volcanic climate makes for a unique barrel aging environment. 

For more, visit Flor de Caña.