Centro de Interpretación de la Caña de Azúcar y el Ron

About the museum

Destilerías Aldea is a family company founded in 1936 in Gran Canaria by Manuel Quevedo Alemán, a master sugar maker and rum maker who had worked in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Madeira; at the time it was called Destilería San Nicolás. In the mid-1950s his son Carmelo Quevedo moved production to San Andrés y Sauces, in the north-east of La Palma, and since then several generations of the family have continued the business.

The interpretation centre is in the Trapiche El Melonar, in Charco Azul, next to sugar cane plantations. The visit explains the history of sugar cane cultivation on La Palma and of the families who lived from its trade, and follows the production of rum from the plantation and milling to distillation. The distillery keeps the traditional method of distilling freshly pressed cane juice directly in a copper still heated by a wood fire.

The guided tour, with a supporting video, ends with a tasting of the distillery's rums, which can also be bought in the shop next door.

Highlights

• Copper still heated by a wood fire
• Rum-making process from the sugar cane plantation to distillation
• History of sugar cane and of La Palma's sugar families
• Rum tasting at the end of the visit
• Guided visits in Spanish and English

Permanent exhibition

• Recorrido por el Trapiche El Melonar – Guided tour of the distillery explaining sugar cane cultivation, milling and the distillation of cane juice in a copper still, with a tasting at the end.

Operated by

Destilerías Aldea S.L.

Admission & discounts

The visit costs €5 per person and includes a rum tasting. With the Canarias Viaja programme, the visit can be booked at no charge.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Only part of the visit is accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The distillery is in Charco Azul, on the coast of San Andrés y Sauces, near the Charco Azul natural swimming pools.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop next to the museum selling the distillery's rums.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit