Get to know the distillery in Porto da Cruz
Porto da Cruz is a town located near the city of Machico. There is a rum distillery in Porto da Cruz. Within the distillery, there is a museum, shop and alcohol tasting area. The museum is open from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. each working day. On Saturday, the museum is open for shorter hours, and is closed on Sunday. A visit to a rum distillery is an unforgettable experience for historians, rum enthusiasts, but also ordinary tourists. When visiting the museum, you can take a look at the old rum-producing machines.
The choice of distillery products is large. The offer includes Branca, 970, 980, Rum North, Rum Tristão Vaz Teixeira, Lido Rum and Rum Zarco. All products differ in taste and the way they are made. You can buy more products in the store, but they come from partnerships with other companies. Rum is sold in Madeira, but also in places around the world. The Porto da Cruz distillery was established in 1927. The sugar cane is harvested in March. Sugar cane grows all over Madeira and is sold by farmers. Today, rum production is different, because of modern machines. Tourists come to Porto da Cruz to see old machines, taste the best liquors and learn about rum production and the past. The old machines are: alambiques, tinas, serpentinas and caldeira a lenha. For visitors who wish to learn the secrets of rum production step by step, it is possible to ask the staff who work in the distillery. If production knowledge is not that important, you can take a close look at the machines and think about production.
The most original product is rum from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. In the store, you have to pay the highest price for this product, compared to other products. A batch of ripe rum is placed on the bottom of the ocean and waiting for the rum to change its flavor. This production method gives the rum its original taste, impossible to repeat in other conditions. Regular product 970 is alcohol that is perfect for drinks with cola or for mixing with freshly squeezed orange juice. Rum 970 can also be drunk slightly chilled, without any additives, separately with a glass of water – just like drinking whiskey. Branca is the basic ingredient of the poncha drink. 970 and 980 will work well before eating. None of the products are suitable for lunch while eating because it is high-proof alcohol. Atlantic Ocean rum is a different brand. It is primarily a salty taste, the alcohol is also sweet and delicate. The salt neutralizes the rum flavor, so it can be drunk with additives when chilled. Salt gradually seeps into tightly corked bottles, penetrating the cap in a small amount. Rum can be swallowed without fear of being too intense. None of the products from the distillery can be called "burning water", because alcohol has a subtle flavor.
The cost of rum production increased by 22% over the past four years. Rum 970 is classically Velho and Reserva, which you can buy in every supermarket. There are also more exclusive bottles on offer – six and twelve years, which are hard to get in a supermarket. The store also sells delicious sugar cane cookies and other products with an exceptionally sweet and sour sugar cane flavor. The museum houses rum production machines and barrels of rum marked with the 970 logo, proudly standing in front of the entrance to the museum. During the tasting, you should try rum with whipped cream, a quite interesting drink and many other equally creative. Each drink is original in terms of taste. The Portuguese approach to the 970 drink is interesting, as they praise the quality of the product and claim that it is the best drink in this price range. Portugal is famous for its barrel alcohols, and the 970 is one of the best of its kind.
A visit to the distillery is also an opportunity to get to know Porto da Cruz, famous for its excellent seafood and the beach where surfers' duels take place. A walk along the promenade along the ocean shore is an opportunity to see the island of Porto Santo, which appears to visitors on sunny days, and on cloudy days it hides behind the fog and remains invisible.