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Uruapan Charanda 5 Year Anejo Single Cask #420 aged in Ex-Tokaji Cask
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For over a century, the Pacheco family has been making some of the finest charanda in Uruapan, Michoacán, Mexico. Charanda is a sugarcane distillate that can only be made in sixteen municipalities in Michoacán. The raw material may only come from within the D.O. (Denomination of Origin) which speaks to the very specific volcanic red soil—called charanda in the native language of Purepecha—that can be found in the region. The soil, which is extremely high in minerality and iron, creates the perfect cane-growing conditions when combined with the warm days and cool nights in Michoacán.
In 1907, Don Cleofas Murgia Pacheco transitioned from distilling mezcal to the more immediately profitable model of distilling sugarcane. Uruapan is actually named for the city of Uruapan, due to the Pacheco’s longstanding history in the community. Miriam Pacheco carries on the family tradition of making Uruapan Charanda and runs the business today. The family’s desire to protect and preserve the region’s tradition of cane distillation is best exemplified by the efforts of Miriam’s brother, Fernando Pecheco, who lobbied to create the D.O. protecting charanda in 2003.
Uruapan and the historic brand Sol Tarasco—named after the Pacheco family’s distillery—are made from 100% D.O., estate-grown sugarcane that is freshly pressed by a water-powered mill. The Pacheco’s sugarcane is grown at an elevation of 4,180 feet above sea level in a tropical, diurnal climate surrounded by fields of mango trees, berry bushes, and over five varieties of bananas, all contributing to the unique terroir imparted during fermentation. The cane juice is open-air fermented in wooden vats for eleven days while the molasses sees a 48-hour closed fermentation. The fermented cane juice is then twice distilled in 1,000-liter, wood-fired copper pot stills, and molasses is distilled in a short, French-style column still. All of these factors contribute to the complexity of Uruapan and Sol Tarasco, which deliver intricate, fragrant, and deeply flavorful cane distillates.
This particular cask of Charanda is especially unique, straight from the beginning of the process. Rather than using fresh cane juice, Piloncillo was used here, a traditional unrefined sugar that is made by simply boiling the fresh pressed cane juice, to the point of browning, then placing into molds where it hardens into a rich, complex sugar that is used across Mexico to sweeten drinks and dishes. The piloncillo distillate, made in their copper pot still, was blended with the molasses rum before aging in barrels that previously held Hungarian Tokaji, a rich and complex dessert wine made from grapes affected by noble rot, giving them immense concentration that makes for excellent sweet wines.
They had our attention at Piloncillo, and they had us convinced at Tokaji, but of course we had to try it for ourselves. On the nose, it is like walking into a patisserie, with rich burnt sugar, chocolate sauce, and baking spices like cinnamon and nutmeg riding on the sweet air. There is also the hint of tropical fruits, whether that be from the distillate or the Tokaji - who knows and who cares - there is a touch of kiwi, melon, and orange oil. The palate is where piloncillo rums are especially distinct and lush - whereas fresh cane juice often has a rich sweet nose, the palate shows fruitiness but sometimes dries out compared to the nose - a quality we often enjoy and a signature of Agricole rum. Piloncillo rums seem to carry that richness to the palate with greater vigor, not always what we are looking for, but pretty damn well done when you're looking for an almost bourbon-like sweet palate, done tropical style. Here, there are flavors of butter pastry crust, honey, dried fruits like figs or dates, and a kiss of vanilla and spicy oak. The finish sees the honeyed note ride out on the oak, slowly waving goodbye and/or beckoning you back again. Bottled at cask strength - 52% abv.
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