Antigua

Distillation of rum in Antigua began around the same time that sugar production started (Surprise!, Just kidding, this is the story of nearly all Caribbean islands). By the 17th Century, Colonel Christopher Codrington had settled on the island and began a sugar plantation known as “Betty’s Hope”, named after his daughter. Sugar production slowed in the 19th and 20th century and the island’s economy slowed drastically. By 1939, there were only two distilleries on the island. Today, you’ll find the Antigua Distillery Ltd. - home to English Harbour, Cavalier, and a few other products.

Our Favorites:
- English Harbour 5 Year
- English Harbour Oloroso Sherry Cask

Barbados

Barbados was the first island in the Lesser Antilles to fully embrace sugar production and by the 18th century, it had developed a great relationship with the burgeoning American colonies. By the mid-1700s, they were shipping over a million gallons of rum along the Eastern coast of the Americas. Today, you’ll find that most of the Barbadian rum is made using hybrid stills (column and pot still) where the focus is placed on blended rums to create their own Barbados style.

Our Favorites:
- Foursquare 2004 Single Blended Rum
- Mount Gay XO
- The Real McCoy 5 Year Rum
- Foursquare Détente

Brazil

When you think about Brazil, you immediately think of caipirinhas, soccer, and the rainforest. When you think about sugarcane, you have to include cachaca - and the only place to get it? Brazil! Cachaca is made from fermented sugarcane juice, must be distilled to 38-48% ABV, and can only be made in Brazil! Cachaca has been produced in Brazil since the 1500’s and has only increased in popularity ever since. It has a unique funky, fresh, full-bodied flavor that is a result of the fermented cane juice.

Our Favorites:
- Avua Prata Cachaca
- Novo Fogo
- Yagura Cachaca
- Avua Amburana Cachaca

British Virgin Islands

The British Virgin Islands are a small chain of sixty islands in the Caribbean. The British captured the islands from the Dutch in 1672 and turned them into sugar producing industries. In 1812, the island was ravaged by a series of hurricanes and just over 100 sugar mills were reduced to 30. The worst part? Only one distillery remained on the island of Tortola - Callwood Distillery. Boasting a 400 year history of distilling, Callwood started around the exact same time that sugar production began on the island. Callwood’s spirits are made from young “green” sugarcane that are fermented and then distilled in an old copper pot still that is fueled by fire from a wood-burning furnace.

Our Favorites:
- Arundel White Rum
- Arundel 4 Year
- Arundel 10 Year

Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands are made up of three islands, the largest of which, Grand Cayman, is actually still pretty small (76 sq. miles). What does this mean for making rum? Well, it means that the Cayman islands were actually too small and lacked arable land to grow and harvest sugarcane. This means that the Caymans are one of the few places in the Caribbean where rum production happened on its own and not as a result of sugarcane production. Why did it start? Well - the answer is simple - pirates! The Caymans were the perfect spot for pirates to stop, refuel, reload, and go about their way. The islands are also remote enough that they were largely left alone by the British and the Spanish navies. This made the islands the perfect stop as a trading post and pirate port.

Our Favorite:
- Seven Fathoms

Cuba

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean and of course, like all Caribbeans islands, the home of sugar trade and sugar production. Except this time, it was executed by the Spanish. The Spanish were far less successful at producing sugar than the British and French empires and as a result - rum wasn’t as prevalent. The Spanish also prohibited the making of rum in 1693 by Royal Decree from the crown. How did this change? During the Seven Years War (1754-1763), the British occupied Cuba, brought their rum, and the rest is history! Cuba further benefited from being in such close proximity to the Americas and acted as a gateway for sugar and rum trade - the country exploded industrially and financially as a market for these things.

Of course, Cuba is also home to some amazing rum and the birthplace of an enormous cocktail renaissance. Cuba was an escape for many and by the 1950s, there were over 100 distilleries on the island. However, when Castro took over in 1959, that count was reduced to 19 that became under government control. Today, Havana Club is the largest exported Cuban rum (rightly so!), but others are still great. Cuba is large enough that each region of the island has its own terroir and traditions as well.

Our Favorites:
- Havana Club 7 Años
- Havana Club Selecctión Maestros
- Santiago de Cuba, Añejo Superior, 11 Years

Dominica

Dominica, nicknamed the “Nature Island”, is known for its intensely wild jungles and winding rivers that make up the heart of the island’s interior. Dominica was one of the last islands to be settled during the days of colonization, but the British eventually planted a foothold in the late 18th century. They set up plantations around the outside of the island, but here, instead of sugarcane - they produced mostly coffee.

While Shillingford produces and blends some great rums on the island, one of the coolest rum products is bois bandé. This a local style of infused white rum where they place herbs and spices into a cask with the rum and let it blend over several weeks or months. The most important part? The bark of the bois bandé tree. The drink is so popular locally that it’s now illegal to strip the bark from any bois bandé tree. You might not be able to get your hands on a bottle of bois bandé, but you can find the Dominican Republic’s Mama Juana, which is made in a similar fashion.

Our Favorites:

- Macoucherie Overproof Rum
- Macoucherie Red

Dominican Republic

Located on the Eastern half of the island of Hispaniola, the Dominican Republic is one of the most unique regions for rum production as it boasts both the highest and lowest elevations in the area. Sugarcane production began in the early 16th century and of course, like most other islands, the production of rum also began! While rum had been in production for hundreds of years, in fact there were over 170 distilleries in the Dominican Republic by the 1790s, it didn’t truly flourish until the 1880s and 1950s when Cubans migrated to the island following the Cuban War for Independence and the Cuban Revolution respectively.

Today there are three major rum producers in the Dominican Republic - Barceló, Bermúdez, and Brugal.

Our Favorites:
- Brugal Extra Viejo
- Brugal 1888
- Ron Barcelo Gran Añejo

Grenada

Originally a French colony, the British took over the island following the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Under British control the island’s sugarcane industry expanded exponentially. Thankfully, all of the slaves under British control were emancipated in 1833 and the island began to drift away from a single cash crop economy. It began to develop cacao and spice industries and allowed to country to stabilize in ways that other Caribbean nations were unable to. Today, Grenada is home to two distilleries - Grenada Distillers Ltd. and River Antoine. Also popular in Grenada is a rum infusion called Woodman, which is known for its “medicinal” properties for sexually active men. It’s blended with bark, dirt, berries, insects, and just about anything potable.

Our Favorites:
- Clarke’s Court Special Dark
- Clarke’s Court Pure White Rum
- Rivers (75% ABV)

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is comprised of two islands side-by-side. You also can’t talk about Guadeloupe without talking about Marie-Galante, which is an island dependency just south of Guadeloupe - but equally just as important; especially when it comes to Rhum! Guadeloupe is home to six distilleries that do not fall under an AOC like other rhum producers in the region like Martinique. Here they make more molasses-based rhum than fresh cane juice rhum. Though most of this is exported for blending at other distilleries around the world.

Marie-Galante however, falls under the French government’s legislation for rhum production which means that all of the rum must be bottled at a whopping 59%! This is because the island is historically short on drinkable water and raising this percentage allows for more water for its residents.

Today, both islands are incredibly popular as destination sites for rum connoisseurs as you can taste some of the best rhum from a multitude of distilleries next to one another.

Our Favorites:
- Domaine de Damoiseu Blanc
- Longueteau Karukera Blanc
- Longueteau Karukera Vieux
- Distillerie Bologne 2000

Guatemala

Guatemala, as a rum producing country, has a unique terrain that can’t replicated anywhere else in the world. From lush forests, active volcanoes, Pacific coastlines, to intense shifts in nature with hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes - Guatemala is unrivaled in its diversity and growing seasons. While sugarcane isn’t as prominent here as other rum producing countries, the sugarcane industry is growing yearly. Still though, Guatemala is dominated by banana and coffee production.

As for rum, there are four distilleries in Guatemala. However, the caveat here is that three of them produce ethanol for other products and aguardiente. While not rum, aguardiente is a fascinating sugarcane spirit that is lower in proof and is infused with aniseed (licorice in flavor). That leaves us with one distillery that is producing rum in Guatemala - ILG or Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala. Here you’ll find Botran and Zacapa rums that both use a solera system to age their rums like sherry in Spain.

Our Favorites:
- Ron Zacapa 23 Solera
- Botran Solera 1983
- Ron Zacapa Solera XO
- Quetzalteca Aguardiente

Guyana

Guyana has a unique history for a Latin American nation. Having been occupied by the Dutch and subsequently the British thereafter until gaining its independence in 1966, it has a rich style that feels more like a Caribbean nation than anything else.

Guyana has one distillery remaining in the country, but not for the lack of history. Consolidation over the years, with a little government intervention, resulted in a combining of knowledge along the Demerara River and the creation of the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). All of the rum made there today comes from the Diamond Distillery and comes from three wooden pot stills - in fact, they may be the only three still in existence and working today.

Diamond Distillery is one of the most significant distilleries for rum as the majority of it is shipped and used in blends from all over the world.

Our Favorites:
- El Dorado 3 Year
- El Dorado 5 Year
- El Dorado 12 Year
- El Dorado 15 year… yup. We love El Dorado rum.

Haiti

Haiti is a country that has struggled for a long time. Horrendous slavery and abuse, natural disasters, military coups, political corruption, trade embargoes, and disease. It has a difficult history and requires empathy and understanding to truly know about what has happened and continues to happen there. And, while all of this was occurring, it also became a birthplace of significance for rhum.

In Haiti, most rhum is actually called clairin. Clairin is an un-aged spirit made from the natural fermentation of sugarcane juice or syrup. It also typically made in incredibly small batches. Most of the clairin made in Haiti never leaves the small towns and villages in which it is made. That being said, there are over 500 small distilleries in Haiti that are all making rhum and clairin. You’d have to visit there yourself to even get a glimpse of all the varieties. Of the rhums that are distributed out of the country, the most popular come from the Arawaks, Barbancourt, Clairin Sonson, and Chelo distilleries.

Our Favorites:
- Barbancourt 5 Stars
- Chelo Distillery Clairin Sajous
- Arawaks Clairin Vaval
- Barbancourt Estate Reserve

Jamaica

Jamaican rum is a standout category all on its own. It’s hard to not think about Jamaica when you start talking about rum - and rightly so!

Becoming a British colony in 1655 initiated Jamaica’s stake in the Caribbean as a premier location for trade and commerce. Port Royal was notorious as a site where lavish riches, pirates, and merchants all mingled together in a melting pot of loose morals and ambiguity. However, right at the turn of the century, Port Royal and Jamaica were ravaged by an earthquake that swept away and destroyed most of the city. This led to a restructuring of society that gave-way to sugarcane and coffee production. Jamaica also became the center of British rum production and trade. Today there are only five distilleries producing rum in the pot still style and all of them are making delicious products that are sought after by consumers and the hospitality community alike.

Our Favorites:
- Rum Fire
- Smith & Cross
- Hampden 10 Year 2010
- Appleton 21 Year
- Wray & Nephew

Martinique

Rhum from Martinique will always hold a special place in our hearts. Why? Well, the rhums produced on this island are regulated by an AOC (Apellation d’Origine Contrólée. In fact, they are are only rhum producing region in the world with this designation. Rhums made here, specifically, rhum agricole - a product made from pressing and fermenting sugarcane juice - have a unique, grassy, earthy, and vegetal flavor compared to other sugarcane products.

Martinique will forever be connected to the French when talking about rhum. As a continued extension of France even today, it was however first colonized in the 1640s. During this time sugarcane production soared and so did rhum. Rhum from Martinique took off as a consumer product when France went to war in the 19th and 20th centuries and of course from the phylloxera plague that annihilated the French wine industry. French soldiers were given rations of rhum while heading into battle and many French citizens were looking for substitutions for their beloved wine as a form of social lubricant.

Today, you can find seven distilleries on the island of Martinique and over a dozen different styles of rhum agricole - this number keeps growing as innovation and creativity inevitably leads us to amazing new products.

Our Favorites:
- La Favorite Rhum Agricole Blanc
- Rhum Clément Canne Bleue
- Rhum Clément XO
- Rhum JM 10 Year
- Trois Rivières Cuvée de L’Ocean

Panama

Panama is one of the most important geographic locations when it comes to talking about not just Latin America, but also the Americas as a whole. Its rich, and sometimes contested, history is a melting pot of many cultures coming together. Without Panama and the resulting Panama Canal during the years of exploration and industrialization, shipping and transporting goods from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean was a monstrous task. As a result, Panama became a huge site for commerce and, you guessed it - sugarcane production.

There are some fantastic rums produced in Panama and some of the most delicious are those that were created when Francisco Jose “Don Pancho” Fernandez Perez migrated from Cuba to Panama in the 1990s. Here he brought all of the skill and knowledge he had acquired working for Havana Club for over three decades and began to produce his own rums here amongst the old sugar mills in Panama.

Our Favorites:
- Ron Abuelo Añejo 12 Ańos
- Ron Abuelo XV, Oloroso Sherry Cask Finish
- Caña Brava 3 Year

Puerto Rico

The island of Puerto Rico, being connected to the United States, has had advantages towards the production and commerce surrounding rum that many other Caribbean islands struggle with. Part of this was due to the amount of money that the U.S. was funneling into larger sugarcane factories on the island. While prohibition in the U.S. also played a large role in Puerto Rico, when it was lifted in 1933 sugarcane and rum production skyrocketed.

Today, Puerto Rico, especially its capital city San Juan, is a melting pot of many cultures and is as modernized as any city in the Caribbean can be. Popular distilleries on the island include Seralles, Bacardi, Ron del Barrilito, Club Caribe, and Cruz.

Our Favorites:
- Ron del Barrilito Tres Estrellas
- Don Q 2005 Signature Single Barrel
- Bacardi Carta Ocho

St. Lucia

St. Lucia is a unique blend of both British and French heritage when it comes to rum and sugarcane production. Initially a French colony until the early 1800s, the island still maintains French location names and other facets of the left-behind culture. Most notably, the island still produces some rhum agricole in the French style in addition to the pot-stilled British molasses based rum.

Today, you will only find one distillery on the island of St. Lucia - St. Lucia Distillers. The island itself isn’t large enough to grow their own sugarcane, so the majority of it is commonly imported via Guyana, the Dominican Republic, or other nearby Caribbean nations. In 2016, the Bernard Hayot Group - the same company that owns J.M and Clément in Martinique - purchased St. Lucia Distillers.

Our Favorites:
- Chairman’s Reserve
- Chairman’s Reserve Forgotten Casks
- 1931 St. Lucia Distillers (Multiple Editions)

Trinidad & Tobago

Ah yes, the country famous for staining bartenders aprons, hands, and bar tops. We’re not talking about rum here, although they do make some tasty rums, we’re talking about Angostura bitters. If you aren’t familiar with them, you’ll find that they’re a popular ingredient in most classic cocktails like the Manhatta, Old Fashioned, and of course - The Trinidad Sour!

While Trinidad was a Spanish colony, it was a popular spot for commerce and trade as a whole. Trinidad also developed more slowly than other nations due to its notoriously light winds that slowed down travel for merchant ships and made any voyage increasingly dangerous as pirates were always looking for easy slow-moving targets.

The House of Angostura, the only rum distillery on the island is massive. In fact, it’s the second largest distillery of any of the Caribbean distilleries. It even has its own road systems for the 20 acre estate. The distillery produces a lot of local rums that never leave the country, a few international rums, bulk rum that is transported out of the country to be blended, and of course - Angostura Bitters.

Our Favorites:
- Angostura 1824
- Plantation Stiggins Fancy Pineapple
- Plantation Original Dark Rum

U.S. Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands make up the western half of the Virgin Island archipelago and consist of around 50 individual islands. The largest of these islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas. The Virgin islands as whole have had a multitude of islands over the centuries fighting for supremacy, these include Spain, France, England, Holland, and the United States.

These islands have always been a hot spot for rum production. As a launching point between Europe and the Americas, the islands were a major hub for sugarcane, slave, and rum trade during the 17th and 20th centuries. While slavery was abolished and the sugarcane industry waned, rum production and sales have reached heights never seen before. Most of this of course is from the Diageo USVI rum distillery which has been making Captain Morgan since 2008. All of the rum made in the U.S. Virgin Islands is made at two distilleries (Diageo USVI and Cruzan) ofnthe island of St. Croix.

Our Favorites:
- Cruzan Blackstrap Rum
- Cruzan Single Barrel Rum

United States of America

Including the United States on this list of countries that produce rum wasn’t at the top of our list. While there are some interesting rums being produced there, the country doesn’t quite have the climate for producing quality products that we know and love from other countries in the world. Most of these rums are what many would consider “craft rums" - that goes to say that many of them emphasize certain characteristics or flavors that are commonly found in rum. They are also usually heavily sugared and have super grassy and fruity notes to them. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t good rums out there, you’ve just got to dig a little deeper to find them! This is definitely a market for exploration and creativity for the future of rum.

The secret to some of the best rums in the U.S. though? Leave the mainland and travel to Hawaii! Unlike the mainland, Hawaii has the perfect climate for aging and producing rum. While sugarcane isn’t harvested in Hawaii as a cash crop, several distilleries are growing and harvesting their own sugarcane to produce rum and creating some truly unique products.

Our Favorites:
- Kō Hana Hawaiian Agricole Rhum
- Kōloa Single Barrel Kaua’i Reserve 5 Year

Venezuela

Venezuela is an interesting player when it comes to the world of rum. Where sugarcane was once its largest domestic product, that has all but evaporated with the discovery of its vast amounts of oil. This has led the country to decades of volatile economic shifts due to its complete dependency on oil trade. This is also coupled with massive swings in political regimes that cause incalculable amounts of harm to shipping, trade, and stability. In spite of all of this, Venezuela’s rum industry has managed to survive.

In the early 2000s, Venezuelan rum makers campaigned for creating a designation of origin for all of their rum. This led to all Venezuelan rum being aged for a minimum of two years. Outside of that, Venezuelan rum production is a blend of many different styles. Some are pot stilled, some use a column still, and some blend the two styles. Most rums are heavily sugared, some see age, some use a solera system, and some make rum in traditional ways. Truly, if you took all of the aspects of rum, removed most regulations, and then let it loose in the wild - you’d get Venezuelan style rum.

Our Favorites:
- Diplomatico Mantuano
- Santa Teresa 1796
- Pampero Anniversario

World Sugarcane Spirits

The best thing about rum is that it can be made anywhere in the world! Depending on where the sugarcane is grown, harvested, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled - the flavors can be drastically different and unique. Some other notable countries that weren’t mentioned above are listed below - and you should definitely check them out!

Argentina, Australia, Belize, Fiji, India, Japan, South Africa, Paraguay, Tahiti - and so, so, so many more!