Rum in The Prairie State
Situated in the heart of the Midwest, Illinois has a rich and intriguing rum heritage, shaped by a unique geography and climate. The Illinois River roughly divides the state, separating the more urbanized north from the more rural south. Southern Illinois has Shawnee National Forest with a landscape of rolling hills, and natural beauty, and enjoys a milder climate. In contrast, northeastern Illinois experiences distinct seasons, with cold winters and warm summers influenced by Lake Michigan and weather fronts from the north.
The lake not only moderates the climate but also provides a gateway for rum running during the Prohibition era. Chicago thrived as a hub of rum running and bootlegging during this time. Al Capone’s criminal empire, with Chicago at its core, stretched from Canada to the East Coast. This era gave rise to the region’s cocktail culture. The history of American distilling along the Ohio River seeped into Illinois.
Beyond Chicago and its bright lights there are hidden gems and adventures to discover for rum lovers. In fact, 2004 saw the first craft distiller producing rum in the state, marking a new era of rum-making in Illinois. Our Illinois rum road trip begins in the south and journeys northward.
South Illinois
Southern Illinois has a landscape of rolling hills, fertile farmlands, and the majestic Mississippi River. Visit Fort Massac State Park near Metropolis, explore Starved Rock State Park, hike in the Little Grand Canyon, or check out the vibrant university town of Carbondale. Southern Illinois has a rich history of spirit distilling and has some hidden gem rum to discover.
Witness Distillery
Rick Radliff founded Witness Distillery in 2016 in Vandalia, right across the street from the old State Capitol. Witness is a grain-to-glass distillery using a custom-built still and local spring water. They produce a variety of whiskeys, including bourbon and rye, vodka and rum. Witness Distillery Barrel Aged Rum and Spice Flavored Rum are the core rums made here. Distillery tours & tastings are Fridays and Saturdays giving insights into their grain-to-glass philosophy and distilling in Illinois. Their Whiskey Underground Bar and Lounge, where you can enjoy their spirits in a relaxed setting.
Find out more on Witness Distillery
Old Herald Brewery & Distillery
In the home of the historic Collinsville Herald newspaper building, the Old Herald Brewery & Distillery opened in January 2019. The Ardent Spirits brand name comes from original property deeds in the county stating that if you “produced or sold ardent spirits” you would have to forfeit your land to an original grantee.
They make rum from equal parts golden molasses, Demerara and brown cane sugar and ferment it at low temperatures like they do when fermenting their lager beer. This takes much longer but draws out smooth tropical notes resulting in a smooth sippable rum. Their silver rum is called Mississippi River Rum and is very slightly sweetened with caramelized cane sugar after fermentation.
Old Herald has recently aged rums for special releases in vanilla extract barrels with toasted coconut and added banana in the fermenter and still for Island Sipper Rum, which has just been bottled. A Thai spiced rum is planned for release later this spring.
Old Herald Brewery & Distillery offers tours (book in advance), and private event spaces. The brewery also features a full-service restaurant with various craft beers and spirits produced on-site, a spacious patio, and a live music venue with an outdoor stage throughout the spring and summer.
Find out more on Old Herald Brewery & Distillery
Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.
Located in Galena, Blaum Bros. was founded in 2014 and hand-crafts their spirits using a meticulous process. They source the finest grains and molasses, and their custom-made copper still allows them to control every step of production, from milling the grains to fermentation, distillation, and bottling. Their core rum expression is the Blaum Bros. White Rum, a 90-proof spirit perfect for cocktails like Daiquiris. In addition to rum, Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. also produces other spirits Gin, Hellfyre Vodka, Rye Whiskey, and Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
For visitors, Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. offers distillery tours that provide a comprehensive look at their craft distilling process. You can also enjoy a tipple and a chat with the Blaum brothers themselves.
Find out more on Blaum Bros. Distilling Co.
North Illinois
Home to the vibrant metropolis of Chicago, architectural marvels, iconic landmarks, museums and a rich foodie and cocktail culture on the shores of Lake Michigan. Beyond the charms of the windy city, there are stunning natural wonders like Matthiessen State Park, renowned for its cascading creeks and dramatic canyons.
Thornton Distilling Co.
Founded in 2014 in Thornton, it’s owned and operated by the Thornton family. It has a colourful history and can be traced back to 1857. Set in a historical brick and limestone building built in 1857 on the west bank of Thorn Creek. The distillery produces a range of spirits, including two distinct rums. Dead Drop Silver Rum is distilled from premium brown sugar in small batches using copper stills. Dead Drop Dark Rum is made from a blend of molasses and cane sugar, aged for over 2 years in new, low-char American oak barrels.
Thornton Distilling Co. offers a welcoming visitor experience with bookable distillery tours and guided tasting, allowing guests to witness the rum-making process first-hand. The distillery also features a tasting room restaurant, bar & event space where they host atmospheric weddings.
Find out more on Thornton Distilling Co.
NG Distillery
Founded in 2015 by Noel Garcia, whose Dominican, African, and Brazilian roots inspired him to create premium rum, quality spirits, and flavoured liqueurs infused with the spirited flavours of his ancestors, NG is a black-owned craft distillery in Thornton specializing in handcrafted small batch spirits. Making vodka, gin and rum – NG Rum is a white rum ideal for cocktails. NG Distillery offers a bottling service in its Batch Buyers Club if you’d like to bottle your own rum.
Find out more on NG Distillery
Star Union Spirits
Star Union Spirits was established in 2016 in Peru, Illinois, by Bob Windy and Jeff Yosowitz and opened to the public in 2018. Star Union Spirits produce spirits in the historic Westclox building. The Westclox clock factory closed in 1980 and remained closed for over 35 years. Star Union was Westclox’s anchor tenant and economic engine. The area’s first legal distillery in over a century.
Star Union Spirits distill seven types of Rum, all produced in their 100-gallon Kothe hybrid still. Star Union Rums are: Silver, Gold, Spiced, Sherry Cask Reserve, Navy Strength Dark, Coffee Liqueur and Rum & Rye. All the Rums are made with First Boiled Molasses. The Navy Strength Dark Rum, made with caramelized molasses, earned the American Craft Spirits Association’s Best in Class (Rum) and Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2021. Star Union Spirits has released its second barrel of Sherry Cask Reserve Rum, aged five years in a whiskey barrel and finished for a year in a sherry cask.
Star Union Spirits Rum can be enjoyed at the distillery’s Tasting Room and fine cocktail bars across North Central Illinois.
Find out more on Star Union Spirits
Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling Company
Founded in Lemont in 2014, they expanded from brewing to distilling in St Charles, in March 2021. Making Straight Bourbon, Corvair Vodka, Cadence American Gin, Woodshed Moonshine, and Keyway Rum. Keyway Rum is distilled using Black Pearl Dark molasses, a robust blend known for its intense flavour and aroma. To achieve a Jamaican rum profile, they sour the molasses wash, encouraging the development of fruity and funky esters in fermentation. This is followed by warm fermentation using a specially chosen yeast strain.
While their primary focus is on craft beers, rum is currently ageing in neutral oak barrels waiting to be bottled and as the seasons change, they release new seasonal spirits. A large outdoor beer garden also plays host to live music, food trucks, and good times throughout the year. They have 4 locations: St. Charles, Lemont, Roselle and Pollyanna Social.
Find out more on Pollyanna Brewing & Distilling Company
North Shore Distillery
Located in Green Oaks, Derek and Sonja Kassebaum founded the distillery in 2004. The first and only craft distillery in Illinois at the time. They produce a variety of spirits and their rum is called Third Coast Rum. Third Coast refers to coastal areas in the US that are distinctly not the East or West Coast.
Starting with the highest grade of molasses, and utilises a long fermentation process to create flavours. This rum is entirely pot distilled on a Still called Ethel. Aged in full-size used bourbon casks for at least 6 years, then finished with cherrywood. They blend select casks to ensure their signature style.
Visitors can enjoy the distillery tour and there’s a busy events schedule, so check out what’s on in advance. After the tour, you can enjoy a tasting of their rum in an Old Fashioned or Daiquiri at their welcoming on-site tasting room.
Find out more on North Shore Distillery
Copper Fiddle Distillery
Founded in 2013 by local friends Jose Hernandez and Fred Robinson Copper Fiddle Distillery is a grain-to-glass operation located in Lake Zurich, Illinois. They meticulously craft a variety of spirits, including vodka, gin, bourbon, and rye whiskey. The distillery’s name comes from the handmade copper still pots used to make their spirits.
Copper Fiddle Distillery offers a comprehensive visitor experience. They conduct tours that delve into the grain-to-glass philosophy, showcasing the intricate steps involved in crafting their spirits. Following the tour, visitors can enjoy a tasting in their on-site tasting room. The distillery also features a welcoming bar where guests can relax and savour handcrafted cocktails made with Copper Fiddle spirits.
Find out more on Copper Fiddle Distillery
Take Flight Spirits
Opened in 2022 by owners Andrew and Carrie Cole in downtown Skokie. As one of the dozen or so distill pub licenses that can sell beer, wine and a full cocktail menu. They make rum, gin-barrel-aged rum, bourbon and whiskey and will extend the range.
Sunbird Small Batch Rum is distilled from blackstrap molasses, Sunbird Rum is one of their cornerstone spirits. Gently aged, it can also be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. Re-distilled with botanicals, it becomes the base for their Sasha Gin. Small Batch Barrel Aged Rum Aged uses locally crafted barrels made of seasoned oak. You can try it at their Tasting Room bar in Smoked Old Fashioned, Manhattan cocktail and their other delicious concoctions. Check out their profile and socials for their events schedule.
Find out more on Take Flight Spirits
CH Distillery
Founded in 2013, the name CH refers to the great city of Chicago where they are located. The distillery sits on 2.5 acres in Chicago’s historic Pilsen neighbourhood. They make vodka, and aquavit, and bought Jeppson’s Malört, a bitter wormwood-flavoured liqueur well known locally. CH Rum is unaged rum and distilled in the Spanish style. The distillery hosts events for private or semi-private dinners, corporate events, and large party dining. They have an on-site bar and restaurant named Jinsei Motto, where you can try sushi with rum cocktails overlooking the stills.
Find out more on CH Distillery
Chicago Cane Cooperative
Started in 2021 as one of the first worker-cooperatives in Chicago as well as one of the first worker-cooperative distilleries in the world. Founder and head distiller Daniel André Regueira Santos is a first-generation Cuban-American and truly passionate about rum.
They source high-grade molasses from Guatemala and create high-acid fermentations, similar to those used in Jamaica, along with a blend of yeasts. Similar to many US craft distilleries, they use a hybrid still and configure it as a pot still with 1-4 plates for distillation. The distilling style is influenced by rum, but also Mezcal, Scotch, and Shochu. As head distiller, Daniel leans into the heavier, funkier side, while highlighting the qualities of the excellent source material.
In 2024, they released Chicago Cane Tavern Rum, an everyday white rum great for mixing. The Solera Aged Gold Rum has been aged in Elijah Craig bourbon barrels since 2022. In 2025 they’ll release their first Queen’s Share (distilling feints) which will be a full-flavoured, velvety rum they’re excited to release. You can drop by their host distillery, Two Eagles in Mt. Prospect, or find Chicago Cane Rum in shops and bars throughout Chicago. Bottles Up, and Sparrow Bar are recommended.
Find out more on Chicago Cane Cooperative
Chicagoland Spirits
Founded in 2011 by Christopher Chickerneo, a former bartender in Wheeling, a northwest suburb of Chicago. They produce and bottle a variety of spirits including rum. Chicago Spirit Silver Rum uses column and pot still rums from the US Virgin Islands blended with a French West Indies Agricole distilled from the 1st pressing of the sugar cane. Polished with a 6-stage filtration through 3 materials for rich clarity of flavour.
Chicago Spirit Barrel Aged Rum is a blend of 3 special rums and a long rest in American oak barrels. That’s the secret behind Chicago Spirit Barrel Aged Rum. Rums from Trinidad, Barbados, and Guyana are blended, filtered, and aged 2-5 years.
Barnstormer Distillery
Farm Distillery on a 22-acre property that grows vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs primarily for use in our Distillery and Tasting Room. Barnstormers is a reference to post-WWI pilots and they embody this barnstorming spirit.
Barnstormer produces Flying Circus Amber Rum which is their aged Silver Rum, and a lighter more delicate version of Caribbean Rum. Flying Circus Coffee Flavored Rum Recipe No. 2, Batch No. 3 uses a blend of espresso beans along with their Silver Rum. Cold brewing created a rich sweet coffee spirit – the sweetness is purely from our silver rum as there is no added sugar. Dutch 45 Rum is imported from Venezuela. You can book a tour and be guided by master distiller Tim. And try the rum on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Brasserie.
Several of the distilleries we mentioned host regular live music performances, so if you’re visiting Illinois check out their profiles and socials for what’s on.
Where to Enjoy Rum in Illinois
Chicago: Marina’s Bistro and Rum Bar, Havana Grill, Hala Kahiki Lounge, 14 Parish Restaurant & Rhum Bar, Three Dots and a Dash (and The Bamboo Room), Delilah’s, Esmeralda’s Lounge Chicago, Broken Shaker at Freehand Chicago.
Champaign: Punch! Bar & Lounge in the Hyatt Place
Homer Glen: Rubi Agave Latin Kitchen
The Illinois bar scene has undergone significant changes in recent years, with several notable rum bars, such as Lost Lake, sadly closing their doors. However, numerous exciting places remain to be explored, and a wealth of rums can be found throughout the city. Delve into the state’s rich cocktail heritage and taste modern riffs on classic cocktails.
The Cohasset Punch, a rum-based libation introduced in 1899, holds a special place in Chicago’s cocktail history. First crafted by local bartenders, it became closely associated with a bar on Madison Street. Another iconic Chicago cocktail is the Chicago Fizz, a unique blend of port, Jamaican rum, egg white, sugar, and lemon.
As a true foodie paradise, Chicago has many culinary options, from American classics like deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs to a vibrant cocktail scene where rum cocktails are always on the menu. If you’re in town for the music festivals, St Paddy’s or The Chicago Rum Festival, you now know some local rums to look out for.
For more general travel advice on Illinois Tourism
For travel planning use our Illinois Rum Map
Thanks to the brands for contributing to this article and for permission to use their images. Other image credits go to Canva Pro and user contributions.
