The Ron Aldea distillery is worth a visit in its own right: an interpretation centre on a cliff above the sea, with a cheap guided tour and a tasting at the end. It fits perfectly into a day in the north-east, between Los Tilos and an afternoon at the Charco Azul pools.
Who they are: from Gran Canaria to La Palma
The story begins in 1936 in La Aldea de San Nicolás, on Gran Canaria, where Manuel Quevedo Alemán (1872–1968) founded the Destilería San Nicolás. He had previously worked in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Madeira.
In the mid-1950s his son Carmelo Quevedo moved the distillery to San Andrés y Sauces, on La Palma, because sugar cane was still grown there. The fourth generation of the family joined the business in the early 1990s, and the firm now has nine decades of history behind it.
What sets it apart is the raw material: the rum is distilled from fresh sugar-cane juice, known as guarapo, rather than from molasses.
Where the distillery is
At Camino El Melonar 19, Charco Azul (38729 San Andrés y Sauces), on a clifftop next to the Charco Azul natural pools, on the north-east coast. Distillery phone: +34 922 450 568; museum: +34 822 900 513 (museo@destileriasaldea.es).
You need a car to get there, as for almost everything on La Palma; from the Aridane valley you cross the island. If you're staying in San Andrés y Sauces or Barlovento, it's right on your doorstep.
- 1Charco AzulbeachDirections ↗
- 2San Andrés y SaucestownDirections ↗
- 3Los Tilosnature areaDirections ↗
The tour: opening hours, price and booking
The tour takes place at the Centro de Interpretación de la Caña de Azúcar y el Ron (the Sugar Cane and Rum Interpretation Centre), also known as Trapiche El Melonar.
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00. The published hours don't include weekends.
- Guided tours: in English at 13:00 and in Spanish at 16:00.
- Price: €5 per person, according to the island tourist board's listing (visitlapalma.es).
- Booking: in advance, using the form on their website (destileriasaldea.es/visitanos).
- At the end: tasting and shop.
- Accessibility: partial access for people with reduced mobility.
How long the tour lasts and exactly what the tasting includes aren't published: ask when you book, especially if you're driving afterwards.
The rum range
Their website lists Ron Blanco, Dorado, Ronmiel, 8 Barricas, Maestro, Single Cane, Single Estate, Triple Vintage, XO and single-cask editions. Bottle prices vary by shop and size, so we don't give them here; in the distillery shop you can taste before you choose.
What the reviews say
We don't have an independent count of reviews of the tour, so we don't give a customer rating. What is clear is the format: a guided tour of a family business, focused on how cane becomes rum, with a tasting and shop at the end. It's an educational visit, not a show.
Score
- History and authenticity
- 5/5A fourth-generation family business distilling fresh guarapo, not molasses.
- Price
- 5/5€5 with a tasting included: hard to ask for less.
- Opening hours
- 3/5Monday to Friday only, and just one English tour a day.
- Information in advance
- 3/5Neither the length nor the content of the tasting is published.
- Accessibility
- 3/5Only partial access for people with reduced mobility.
The good
- Very low price, with a tasting.
- A genuine family history and rum made from fresh guarapo, not molasses.
- Next to Charco Azul and close to Los Tilos.
- Guided tours in Spanish and English.
The not so good
- Closed at weekends according to its published hours.
- Only one English tour a day, at 13:00.
- You have to book ahead; it's not somewhere to just turn up.
Who it's worth it for (and who should skip it)
Book if you're interested in rum or the history of sugar cane in the Canaries, if you're staying in the north or east of La Palma, or if you're after an indoor plan for a cloudy day. Skip it if you only have the weekend, if you're staying in the west and don't want to cross the island just for this, or if you don't drink and industrial history leaves you cold.
How to combine it
The ideal north-east day: a morning at Los Tilos or on the Marcos y Cordero walk, the distillery tour at 13:00 or 16:00 and a swim at Charco Azul if the sea allows (they're summer pools; when the swell is up they can be unusable). All the walks in the area are in the La Palma guide and in hiking in the Canary Islands.
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Where is the Ron Aldea distillery?
At Camino El Melonar 19, in Charco Azul, in the municipality of San Andrés y Sauces, in the north-east of La Palma, next to the Charco Azul natural pools.
Is Ron Aldea from La Palma or Gran Canaria?
It was founded in 1936 in La Aldea de San Nicolás (Gran Canaria), but it has been distilled in San Andrés y Sauces (La Palma) since the mid-1950s.
How much does it cost to visit Ron Aldea?
€5 per person, booked in advance on their website. There's a tasting and shop at the end.
What are the Ron Aldea tour times?
Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00, with a guided tour in English at 13:00 and in Spanish at 16:00.
What is Ron Aldea rum made from?
From fresh sugar-cane juice (guarapo), not molasses.
