La Hechicera pronounced etch-ee-see-rah is Spanish for enchantress.  The rum is a product of Colombia.  I have previously given a very favourable review to a Colombian rum – Dictador 12.  The rum is produced by Casa Santana Ron Y Licores.  The rum is marketed as fine aged premium sipping rum.  Information available suggests that the rum is produced using the “solero” method.  With rums aged between 12 and 21 years. No age statement is present on the bottle or alluded to.

The rum has been available in the UK since 2012.  “Solero” marketing does get quite a lot of criticism so perhaps they purposefully omitted this information in the hope that the rum would be appraised solely on its actual content rather than being influenced by an age statement.  Fine aged rum from Colombia is its tagline.

I have tried to do the bottle justice with my photograph but the presentation is exceptionally good.  The blue sign on the front of the bottle is actual raised wax and has a kind of coat of arms with Ron Colombiano beneath.  The bottle has a rainforest running around it with palms and parrots depicted.  The label gives a little more information on the rums heritage and offers some useful tasting notes.  To top of the excellent presentation you get a really lovely wooden topped cork stopper which is again excellent quality.  I get the feeling that with so much care taken in the presentation this rum must be pretty good.  The rum’s website and marketing material (Facebook, Twitter) all carry the brand consistently and classily.

The rum retails at around the £40 mark in the UK.  This is for a 70cl 40% abv bottle.  I managed to get this online via Amazon with free postage and packing from a wine merchant in Scotland for only £34.  I have seen it online for upto £50 in some retailers.  The rum has only been available on the UK market for around 2 years.  It was released back in 2012.

Anyway, on with the tasting let’s see how enchanting this rum is.  In the bottle the rum is a dark brown with reddish tones running through it.  When poured in the glass the colour remains much the same.  Nosing the rums gives off a nice rich smell of caramel and toffee with orange fruity notes.  It reminds me of Venezuelan brands such as Pampero and Diplomatico.  I can tell even before I taste this rum that it is going to be very enjoyable.  From sipping I would say that a lot of the rum in the blend is likely to have been aged for at least 8 years perhaps nearer 12.  It is very smooth and offers little to nil alcohol burn.  It is zesty and spicy with more pronounced orange flavour.  There is also a red grape flavour which is very pleasant.  It is a sweet sipping rum with very little evidence of oak or smokiness in its profile.  The notes on the bottle suggest notes of tobacco but I can’t detect such a taste or flavour.  It has hints of roasted coffee, though this isn’t as much as the other Colombian rum I tried Dictador 12. Which was less sweet than La Hechicera and a little bitter.  Mixed with cola and ice the rum is one of my all time favourites.  The sweetness of the rum shines giving a very refreshing and tasty mixed drink.  It is full of flavour but it isn’t too pungent or cloying.  It doesn’t become too sweet.  La Hechicera is a very well balanced and put together rum.

La Hechicera is very much in with the newer breed of premium sipping rums.  It has elements of Pampero Aniversario, Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva and Ron Zacapa.  In my opinion La Hechicera easily holds its own in that company.  Stylistically it is definitely similar.

In terms of marketing and style La Hechicera is a rum which could quite easily break through and introduce young people to rum beyond Bacardi Superior, Sailor Jerry and Captain Morgan.  With a bit of a push I do believe it could become a lot more popular and more widely available.

If you are looking for a Premium Sipping rum but do not wish to break the bank I can thoroughly recommend La Hechicera.  It is excellent!

This rum is available from