El Amparo is a pure single rum from Ecuador, produced in the city of Jipijapa, in the province of Manabí, in the west of the country, on the coastal region bordering the Pacific Ocean. Carlos Baque Zorrilla is the producer of this “aguardiente.” It is made from a variety of local sugar cane, more commonly known as Cubana Negra. Cultivated and harvested according to the traditional practices of three generations, the cane is cut with a machete between the months of September and January, when it is 18 months old. Fermentation starts naturally and is carried out by indigenous yeasts in tanks ranging in volume from 1000 to 3000 liters. It lasts 5 to 7 days, depending on the sugar concentration at the must harvest. Distillation is carried out in a copper still with a capacity of 500 liters. After a single pass, the distillate comes out of the still at around 60%.