Cuba's first master rum makers honed their skills near Santiago de Cuba in the eastern part of the island around 1862. Today, they are scattered throughout the Caribbean nation in local rum distilleries
The traditional knowledge held by Cuba's light rum masters was on Wednesday added to UNESCO's list of intangible heritage, a prestigious designation that recognizes a tradition dating back eight generations on the island.
"It is a recognition of the generations of Cuban rum masters and... of the tradition of Cuban rum," rum master Asbel Morales, 54, told AFP.
The island's first master rum makers honed their skills near Santiago de Cuba in the eastern part of the island around 1862. Today, they are scattered throughout the Caribbean nation in local rum distilleries.
Generation upon generation of light rum makers have transmitted the secrets of the distillation process to their successors.
Light rum, with an alcohol content of 40 percent, is made from molasses, the thick dark syrup derived from sugar cane, unlike agricultural rum made from cane juice. Light rum is the variety widely used for making cocktails.