Colombia’s National Spirit Splashes Into US Market How Bacan Guaro Aims to Popularize Rum’s Boundary-Pushing Cousin.
Colombia’s national spirit has found a new proponent in the American market by way of Bacan Guaro. Introduced by husband and wife team Ricardo and Diana Espinosa March at the end of July, the up-and-coming brand promises to find a new home for a fiery liquor loaded with herbaceous bite and regional lore.
FIRST PUBLISHED BY: Bottle Raiders | Pedro Wolfe | August, 9, 2024.
Guaro — also known generically as “aguardiente” — is a type of anise-flavored spirit derived from sugarcane. Imagine it as a synthesis of rum’s sweetened base and licorice’s salty mouthfeel. In other words, an acquired taste.
The kind of acquired taste that may fit right at home for lovers of sambuca, cachaça or especially spicy gins. Diana, a Colombian entrepreneur and media personality, and her husband Ricardo, an architect and former import manager for Ron Abuelo, are betting that the regional favorite has untapped international potential.
“Our aim was to elevate the aguardiente experience and introduce Bacan to a discerning audience that may have never encountered this unique spirit,” Diana remarked in a news release. “It is one of my most cherished traditions from Colombia, and I believe it deserves to be appreciated globally.”
Those hoping to pick up the product can find it at retailers in Florida, New York and New Jersey in two varieties. Bacan 24, bottled at 48 proof, is the milder of the pair, said to balance a sweet anise aroma with flavors of black licorice, delicate flowers and lingering spice. Bacan 29, bottled at 58 proof, dials up the details with a stronger palate of citrus, ginger, black pepper and rosemary. Each is available at $49.99.
Aguardiente Origins
Aguardiente is a portmanteau of the word “agua,” Spanish for water, and “ardiente” is Spanish for burning. Translated into English, it’s the same as what we’d call firewater.
The phrase is used as an umbrella category across the Spanish-speaking world to refer to various spirits, typically distilled with either sugarcane or grapes. In Guam, a distilled version of tubâ — a frothy palm tree wine — was dubbed “aguajente” in the 19th century. In Chile, aguardiente is produced from grape skins, pulp and stems before being bottled at 45% ABV or higher. During the American gold rush, Spanish transplants distilled the beverage using mission grapes.
Colombia’s take on the drink is known locally as guaro. Though its exact origins are unknown, modern iterations are popular throughout the Andean region and on the sidelines of tejo games, a traditional throwing sport in which pucks are tossed onto a board containing gunpowder.
Despite its explosive reputation, the licorice-tinged drink has reportedly waned in popularity in recent decades. According to El Tiempo, just six of the nineteen original state-run distilleries are in operation as of 2023.
Bacan — slang for “cool” or “awesome” — aims to breathe new life into the spirit across the U.S. Distilled from first-press sugarcane juice, Spanish star anise and water, the brand’s stripped-down recipe mirrors much of what’s commercially available throughout Colombia.
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