Rum Vacation Guide: 5 Caribbean Distilleries to Visit
Ah, the Caribbean! White sand beaches, endless tropical fruit buffets, flip flops, sunburns and…rum distilleries. There are plenty of opportunities to drink rum in the Caribbean, but don’t limit yourself to your hotel’s pineapple-flavored slushy drinks that come in coconuts. Go straight to the source, to the many fabulous rum distilleries sprinkled throughout the islands.
Each of the islands has its own unique style of rum, from dark, rich sipping rums to light and grassy “agricole” rums. The Spanish-speaking islands like Puerto Rico and Cuba tend to produce light rums with clean flavors (DonQ is an example of this style). The English-speaking islands, which include Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad and Tobadgo, are known for dark, rich rums with more molasses flavor. French-speaking islands like Martinique make “rhum agricole” using sugarcane juice instead of molasses, which brings out lighter, floral and grassy flavors.
We asked some bartenders and rum fans which distillery tours were their favorites. Here’s what they said:
Angostura Distillery, Trinidad & Tobago
Recommended by Marshall Altier, Bartender and Senior Contributing Editor to The Hooch Life
Why visit this distillery: “As one of the most recognizable brands in the world, Angostura bitters is one of Trinidad’s national treasures, but the distillery also makes a long list of commercial rums that find their way into other brands and blends.”
Appleton Estate, Jamaica
Recommended by Willy Shine, NYC bar legend and mixologist
Why visit this distillery: “The Appleton Estate is located in the beautiful parish of St. Elizabeth. It is surrounded by limestone hills called the Cockpit Region, which naturally filters the water used to make Appleton rum. The sugarcane is all estate-grown cane they grow, cut and juice all in the same place. They have been producing rum since 1749, and it is the oldest distillery still in operation on the island of Jamaica…The Master blender’s name is Joy Spence, and she is the first women to hold such a prestigious title, not only in rum but across all brands in the world. Appleton Estate Rum is the true essence of Jamaica.
Habitation Clément, Martinique
Recommended by Matty Durgin, rum aficionado
Why visit this distillery: According to Benjamin Melin-Jones, Managing Director of Rhum Clément in the USA and fourth-generation member of the Clément family, the distillery receives around 100,000 tourists each year to tour the grounds and taste rum. “Habitation Clément is one of the most popular tourist destinations on Martinique because people learn about where Rhum Agricole was born, tour through aging cellars, taste the range of Rhum Clément, visit a 17th century Créole Habitation, visit new contemporary art galleries and relax throughout the property’s botanical gardens. The Rhum actually is the draw but then everyone stays awhile…” The rhums are made of pressed sugarcane juice, which yields “very dry, earthy and aromatic” flavors.
Mount Gay Distillery, Barbados
Recommended by Matty Durgin, rum aficionado
Why visit this distillery: Mount Gay is the oldest brand of rum in the world, dating back to at least 1703. The tour offers visitors a glimpse of the distillery’s history, and tastes of the modern line of rum.
St Lucia Distillers, St. Lucia
Recommended by Jason Littrell, Bartender at JBIRD
Why visit this distillery: “Last year I went to several Caribbean islands on the Rum Cruise and saw a lot of amazing distilleries. One of the coolest ones, I thought, was the St. Lucia Distillery, which makes Chairman’s Reserve. It was a super small, provincial operation that was 100% transparent…They make a lot of extremely small batch rums which are blended onsite for a truly special bottling. There was nothing flashy about the tour itself, but the honesty and passion of the blender and the local staff was clearly apparent. The Chairman’s Reserve spiced rum is definitely my favorite from there, but that’s only among other truly extraordinarily well made rums from their stills.”
(Reporting by Marshall Altier)
