The extraordinary ingredient in Ron Santiago de Cuba Carta Blanca rum is sweet molasses, a non-crystallised syrup obtained from the refining of sugar that has been used in rum production for centuries. Explorer Christopher Columbus introduced the local population of the Caribbean islands to the liquefaction of sugar by-products. The brown syrup is fermented by purified water and yeast and then distilled in a traditional incinerator. After fermentation and the burning process, this rum, unlike dark rum, is bottled to capture its fine taste. Not ageing it in oak barrels makes its appearance clear and transparent.