Fernando Fernández (c.1850–1940) was the founder of the oldest

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

producing company in Puerto Rico.

Start of a dynasty

Fernández, was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. He was the owner of the Santa Ana plantation located in the city of his birth. The Santa Ana plantation is located on land which was granted to his grandfather (whose name was also Fernando Fernández) by the Spanish Royal Crown in 1797. Fernández's grandfather was a naval captain who fought against pirates and English merchant ships. The Spanish Royal Crown granted him this land in recognition of his service to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, here he planted

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

and raised cattle. In 1804, the elder Fernández used a mixture of sugar and honey to process and distill rum. He aged his product in special barrels which were imported from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. The rum he produced was only for his own personal use and that of his family. In 1821, various slaves from his

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

were involved in a conspiracy. A slave from another plantation by the name of Marcos Xiorro planned and organized a revolt against the slave masters. The plans of the revolt were discovered by the Spanish authorities and never took place. In 1827, he ordered his 127 slaves to build an enormous

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

shaped like a

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

. The windmill helped to extract the juice from the sugarcane. He would still resort to the use of

manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...

whenever the wind wasn't strong enough to operate the windmill. Puerto Rico Herald
/ref> In 1846, Fernández's father, Manuel Fernández (birth name: Manuel Fernández y Martínez), inherited the plantation; Manuel Fernández developed the land which consisted of over . Manuel Fernández eventually purchased much of the property adjoining his land and soon became the richest man in Bayamon.

Pedro Fernando Fernández takes charge

In 1880, Pedro F. Fernández, became the owner of the plantation. Fernández imported a

still A still is an apparatus used to distillation, distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively Boiling, boil and then cooling to Condensation, condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic Distillation#Laboratory_procedures, ...

from Europe and started to produce rum using the sugar and honey from his land. He developed two different formulas for his rums and he used the same barrels which his grandfather had used before, believing that the rum's unique flavor would be contained in these barrels. Soon the word spread about Fernandez's rum and many friends and nearby families would visit the Santa Ana Hacienda to "sample" the rum. His son went to France to continue his university education; while there he discovered

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

. Upon returning to Puerto Rico, he developed a rum recipe that rivaled the best French cognacs. People started calling Fernando's rum " Ron del Barrilito" (Rum from the little Barrel). In Puerto Rico, families began switching from "

brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

" and "

", to "Ron del Barrilito". Fernández also produced "Alcoholado Santa Ana" which is a product derived from

alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...

and eucaliptic leaves and is greenish in color. Unlike pure alcohol, Alcoholado Santa Ana does not sting. It is principally used for rub-downs and to refresh the body.

Edmundo B. Fernández, Inc.

Fernando Fernández died in 1940 in Bayamon. His great-grandson, who is also named Fernando Fernández, organized the company (which is now called "Edmundo B. Fernández, Inc.") and continues to distribute two brands of "Ron del Barrilito" and "Alcholado Santa Ana" worldwide. The company's main offices are still located in the Hacienda Santa Ana with manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico and in the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

. Edmundo Fernández's office is located in the windmill tower built by his ancestor.

Freedom barrel

In 1942, a single barrel, which is stored in the "cellar", was put aside with orders that it should only be opened when Puerto Rico becomes a free and independent nation. When and if that ever happens, the cask (barrel) will be taken to the town square in the center of Bayamon and its contents will be offered free to all those who wish to drink from it.

References

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