Bacardi

Bacardi rum was established in 1862 in Santiago de Cuba by Don Facundo Bacardi , a Catalan wine merchant who emigrated to Cuba in 1830.  After 23 years of experimentation, Don Facundo succeeded in refining a drink that was up until then cheaply made and poorly-regarded.  After trying several techniques he hit upon filtering the rum through charcoal, which removed impurities. In addition to this, Facundo aged the rum in oak barrels, which had the effect of "mellowing" the drink.

Bacardi Superior Rum was shot to fame thanks to being used by cocktail pioneers as the principle ingredient in the birth of the world's best known rum cocktails including the Mojito (1860s), later featured in the 1931 book called Cuban Cookery, the Daiquiri (1896), the Cuba Libre (1900) and the Bacardi Cocktail (1917).