2023.01 New York City and Caribbean Cruise (Part 7)

It was great to finally see land.  Even with a smooth ocean for our journey, I was eager to get off the ship after being on board for a few days.

Arrival to the port is cool, and I’d say the most impressive of our journey.  In fairness, this was the largest island we’d stop, so geography gave San Juan the assist on a gorgeous vista.  The ship passes the historic fort upon entering the harbour, and then the slips for the cruise ship are right in front of the old city.

It feels like you can walk right up to the front of the ship while it’s docked in the harbour.  Our tour during our time in San Juan was to a rum distillery.  Given a few thousand people walked off the ship into San Juan, it did feel like we were taking over the area for the afternoon.

We easily found our tour group.  Our bus driver pointed out some landmarks as our bus made the journey to the distillery.

Ron del Barrilito

The tour of the distillery was good in which we got the history of the facility, and the tour included not only the factory side of the operations, but also the original owner’s house that was occupied until the 1980s or 1990s (I’ve forgotten that trivia tidbit).

To me, the bottling and packaging area felt like it could be a set for a movie.

From the factory, we entered the area where the rum is distilled.  This area smelt divine, and was slightly cooler than the rest of the areas we toured.  The guide highlighted how the barrels are not organized by age, and depending on the quality of the barrel, are reused multiple times.

The guide did point out some very old barrels that continue to age the rum.  After we finished the tour, we were then led to a tasting room where we got to sample the varieties available.

The distillery uses stars to denote the age of their rum.  To us, the two-star should have been given an octane rating and dumped into a gas tank.  It was harsh, strong, and subtle like a sledgehammer.  The guide did concede that it’s typically used in mixed drinks and is not expected to be enjoyed on its own.

Three star is their greatest volume seller, tasted just like any other white rum.

The difference jumped out with the four and five star.  Four star is aged up to 20 years, and to me was the smoothest, best tasting rum I’ve had.  Unlike the 2 star that was trying to cleanse your mouth and throat to a medical grade requirement, this one was smooth, almost like a syrup it was outstanding.

Finally, was the five star that is aged up to, or over 35 years.  I didn’t find this as good as the four star, however it was much more refined and smooth compared to the 2 and 3 star varieties.

At the conclusion of the tasting we were able to enjoy a cocktail before returning to the ship.

The nephew thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and after stopping in one of the few stores by the dock, we returned to the ship for a late dinner.  Before departing I went back up to the pool decks to take a few pictures.  It was a warm, clear evening.

Explore other parts of this trip:

Part 1 – Air Canada Flight Toronto to New York City, LaGuardia

Part 2 – Millennium Hotel New York, One UN Plaza

Part 3 – Things to do in New York City

Part 4 – Caribbean Cruise Introduction

Part 5 – Things to do while Cruising

Part 6 – Cuisine onboard

Part 7 – Port, Puerto Rico (this post!)

Part 8 – Port, St. Maarten

Part 9 – Port, Antigua and Barbuda

Part 10 – Port, St. Lucia

Part 11 – Port, St. Kitts and Nevis

Part 12 – Maple Leaf Lounge LaGuardia, flight New York to Toronto