Since its beginning in 1853, the National Liquor Factory has sold the liquor in barrels through liquor agencies. The agencies, in turn, placed it in bars and other outlets in the containers that clients provided. The alcohol content of liquor was 35°. Since August 1980, FANAL has marketed the liquor in a one-liter glass bottle with a low ABV of 30° under the name of Guaro Cacique. Cacique is also available in 750 ml glass bottles and 365 ml plastic bottles. FANAL produces and uses in its beverages a licensed ethyl alcohol that is intended for drinking. Fanal produces two guaro products known as Guaro Cacique (with a red label) and Cacique Superior (with a black label). The latter is 35 ABV or 70 proof. Its design is based on high purity rubbing alcohol and subjected to further purification, in which the liquor is filtered through activated carbon to increase its purity and perfect its aroma.
Origin of the name Guaro is a term used in Central America to refer to a traditional alcohol distilled from sugar cane. The word "
cacique" (a word originating from
Taíno or
Arawak languages) means "chief of the tribe" in
Spanish. Another factor contributing to renaming the product "cacique guaro" was an excavation made by the
National Museum on land currently occupied by FANAL, where the archeologists discovered the largest known indigenous settlement to date in the canton of
Grecia. The excavation took place from 1977 to 1980. The drink is nicknamed "cuatro plumas", meaning "four feathers", and refers to the cacique wearing four feathers on the label. == Production process ==