It belonged to Leopoldo Arús Gálvez, who used to distill aguardiente from the wine he made at home with rice and, alternatively, uva caleta. The widow of Dr. Mirnagaray, a psychiatrist at Mazorra, the psychiatric hospital where he worked as a clinician, gifted him a complete laboratory distillation set. It marked the beginning of my grandfather’s home production of rum. He began distilling the wine he had been making. The quality was confirmed by a family member who worked at Havana Club, who analyzed it in the laboratory and approved it, recommending the use of activated carbon to refine the final spirit. My grandfather scaled up wine production to maintain a year-round supply of rum, including during our month-long stay at our family’s house in Guanabo beach in the summer. During the Special Period, my grandfather increased production of rum to sell to a few acquaintances to make a profit to buy sugar and other things he needed to keep the household rum supply.

2025.1

1987

1980s

Maker: Soviet manufacturer (unnamed on the object). Stem printed "Made in USSR," with an "OTK" (factory quality‑control) mark and a "TT" designation (meaning not established). Date: Marked "4‑1987 г." — reads as the OTK control date, April 1987.

"ОТК 4‑1987 г."; "TT"; "Made in USSR"; "Graduat. at total immers…" (graduated‑at‑total‑immersion note); "°C" marking near the top of the scale; scale 0–100. No marks on the paper case.

alcoholometer, case, case cap

Materials: Glass (stem); internal enamel scale; metal tip; cork; paper wrap; rolled paper/cardstock case with string. Technique: Mass‑produced graduated glass instrument; rolled/glued paper case.

Fair