40% ABV
Rum
Dominican Republic
Legacy of Excellence
In 1903, 18-year-old Eduardo León Jimenes founded La Aurora in the Dominican Republic’s tobacco heartland of Santiago de los Caballeros, establishing what would become the country’s first and most prestigious cigar factory. When Eduardo passed away in 1937, his brother Herminio preserved the family legacy, ensuring the León name continued representing the highest standards of cigar production.
By the mid-20th century, the León Jimenes family had transformed its tobacco operation into Empresa León Jimenes, a conglomerate that helped shape the Dominican economy. Through strategic partnerships with Philip Morris for Marlboro production and major expansions into brewing – acquiring Bohemia Brewery in 1983 and Cervecería Nacional Dominicana in 1986 – Empresa León Jimenes established dominance in multiple industries while maintaining its independence.
The Third Generation Vision
The 1980s brought transformational leadership when Francisco León Jimenes introduced his son Guillermo to the business. Guillermo understood that the family’s success in beer and cigarettes had overshadowed its premium cigar competency. Despite its historical significance, the premium cigar operation represented about 1% of the company’s overall revenue by the late 1980s. Instead of accepting this, Guillermo saw it as an opportunity to refocus on what made the family legendary.
In 2011, Guillermo separated La Aurora from Empresa León Jimenes. His brave decision returned the operation to its independent, family-owned roots.
The Rum Revelation
This refocus extended beyond cigars to embrace premium consumption culture. In 2013, celebrating the 110th anniversary, Guillermo recognized that exceptional cigars deserved a companion spirit. This led to an innovative partnership with Ron Barceló to create E. León Jimenes 110 Aniversario rum.
It took three years to develop E. León Jimenes 110 Aniversario and required a meticulous selection process. Barceló’s master distillers evaluated hundreds of expressions, finding the perfect complement to La Aurora’s premium cigars. The chosen rum underwent a special aging process never attempted in the Dominican Republic: eight years in virgin American white oak barrels, followed by two years in virgin French oak tuns.
The American oak provided foundational vanilla, caramel, and sweet spice flavors while the French oak gave the spirit a roundness, homogeneity, and sophisticated character earning a remarkable 97-point Beverage Testing Institute score.
The Art of the Pairing
E. León Jimenes 110 Aniversario embodies the complementary excellence philosophy that has guided the León family for over a century. The rum wasn’t developed to be consumed on its own but rather as the ideal companion to La Aurora’s cigars but that doesn’t mean it can’t stand up on its own. The Beverage Testing Institute rating in 2019 was followed by a Double Gold Medal at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where fewer than ten spirits per category receive the recognition.
Pairing by: Erik Calviño
Tasting Notes: E. León Jimenes 110 Aniversario
On the nose, the E. León Jimenes 110 Aniversario delivers rich caramel, butterscotch, and oak spice alongside ripe fruits. The palate is viscose and full flavored, with flavors that pick up where the nose left off and add chocolate and herbal bitters. The finish is long and balanced with just enough heat to hold off the sweetness.
Cigar Pairing: Fuerte Sol
The Fuerte Sol is beautifully box-pressed providing an excellent draw and burn with notes of red pepper, cinnamon, cedar, and toasted almonds. Take a sip of the rum followed by a puff of the cigar and you’ll notice a rich, sweet caramel creaminess that envelopes the smoke. A fantastic pairing.
