Premier League of Rum Distillery Tours
Visiting a rum distillery can be the highlight of many tropical vacations. A fun day out, learning about local culture, a chance to wander through gardens and sample local rum, cocktails, or lunch. It’s an excellent social setting to interact and satisfy curiosity. The Caribbean and the Americas top the list due to their rich history and proximity to popular tourist destinations.
These are some of the most visited sites that are open just now. Let the tour begin and feed your vacation inspiration.
Casa Bacardi, Puerto Rico
A million cruise visitors a year stop off in Puerto Rico. Casa Bacardi, the Cathedral of Rum is the world’s largest rum distillery and probably the most visited. Given the busy schedule, it’s advisable to make bookings. There’s a 12-minute ferry linking San Juan and Cataño, the tour location, or you can opt for their shuttle. It’s a large site with trolley vehicles and interactive exhibits. You can peek into a replica bat cave, and watch videos on the history and distilling – there’s no close-up tour of the actual distilling.
There are many options to upgrade like master the art of mixology at the Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Course. On the Legacy tour, you get a trolley ride and try the Special Reserve and a welcome cocktail. At the bar, you can try an old Cuban, Mojito, Daiquiri, Cuba Libre, or an alcohol-free Piña Colada. There is a gift shop and you can order food at their restaurant.
Mount Gay Rum Distillery, Barbados
About a million visitors per year visit the birthplace of rum, Barbados. They’ve been making rum here since 1703. Mount Gay rum has two visitor centres, one in Bridgetown near the cruise port, and the main distillery in the north of the island at Saint Lucy. The Bridgetown experience is handy for cruise passengers on a quick visit to buy souvenirs or take part in a cocktail workshop. For the main distillery, it’s best to book ahead, and you can arrange a shuttle from your hotel.
There you’ll get a pink hard hat, and go on a walking tour of this historic site, visiting a huge warehouse, molasses room, still house, and tasting room. A rum punch and a few pours are included. You can also buy a rum flight tasting with your ticket. Tina leads an informative tour. It’s a pilgrimage for any rum fan, and to learn more about Barbadian history.
Appleton Estate Rum Distillery, Jamaica
The Joy Spence Appleton Estate Rum Experience launched in 2018 is a must-visit destination in Jamaica. Set in the lush Nassau Valley, visitors flock here from cruise terminals and private island tours. It gets busy, so it’s recommended to book ahead. During the visit, you’ll receive a welcome cocktail, and samples on the tour.
You can help push the cane wheel, and along the tour, you are given your own piece of sugarcane to take home. But more than that you’ll delve into the rum-making process with traditional copper pot stills. Discover the history of the estate, dating back to 1749, and you can even enjoy authentic Jamaican jerk pork at the estate’s restaurant. The tour is educational, informative, and fun.
Saint James Rhum Distillery, Martinique
Visitors to Saint James Rhum in Sainte-Marie on the North-East of Martinique are immersed in history going back to 1765. Habitation La Salle and the Musée du Rhum are separate sites. A highlight for history and engineering buffs will be the old alembic machinery, the train, and artifacts showing the evolution of distilling on the island. You might say the most “museumy” of rum distilleries. So, you’ll not see the working distillery.
The historical equipment, information boards, old-time marketing posters, and history of Rhum Agricole are a proper geek-out experience. The picturesque distillery is spread over two large sites just off the main road. The tour is self-guided When you finish strolling around you can try a wide array and buy some of their older expressions, possibly not available back in your home country.
Museo del Ron Havana Club, Cuba
In Cuba, the rum distilleries are owned and run by the government. Havana Club rum is made and aged at several sites. There are no distillery visits, so the two main places in Cuba to learn about rum are; the Rum Museum in Santiago de Cuba, and the Havana Club Museum in Havana.
Santiago de Cuba is considered the birthplace of Cuban rum, but since Havana is busier and has a cruise stop across the street, it is more visited by tourists. So, it’s best to book ahead, tours run every 15 min in different languages. And, remember you can’t buy Cuban rum to take back to the US, it’s prohibited.
You can choose from three different tour prices based on the rums you try. This museum/ bar is small and highlights the history of Cuban rum-making in video from colonial origins to iconic cocktails like the Mojito. A welcome cocktail at the start and a short stroll around exhibits that show artifacts and miniature scale models of a distillery site. The tasting of their Havana Club rums in a lively, atmospheric setting. It’s right in front of Havana harbour, so it’s easy to get to, and a busy spot.
Flor de Caña Distillery, Nicaragua
As the only distillery in Nicaragua, it’s situated at the foot of the San Cristóbal at volcano Chichigalpa and two hours from Managua. The distillery is called Compañía Licorera de Nicaragua. The Flor de Caña tour is a major tourist attraction, so they recommend booking ahead. They have a guided tour, a trolley vehicle ride a big old train to look at, and a model scale of the site.
The Flor de Caña (sugarcane flower) tour has been upgraded with an architecture barrel building with six interactive stations, exploring your 5 senses. It highlights sustainable rum-making, there’s videos, and concludes with tastings of their award-winning expressions. You can pay for a VIP tour with a personal guide, and a personalised bottle of rum Flor de Caña 18. On the private tour, you can taste extra old um from the barrel, which is a nice touch.
Centro Historico Ron Barcelo Distillery, Dominican Republic
Located near San Pedro de Macoris, it’s over an hour’s drive from the capital Santo Domingo. You’ll be guided around the rum warehouses, distillery, and bottling plant and then the museum showing the history of Ron Barcelo, you can enjoy a complimentary cocktail rum cocktail, and watch a film on the Barceló family legacy spanning generations.
It’s a well-informed tour of their artifacts processes and warehouses. After the interactive tour, there’s a tasting of their premium range. And the tour ends at the gift shop where you can buy well-priced rum compared to outside and other souvenirs. It’s suggested to reserve ahead, but people have just turned up.
Don Q Tour, Puerto Rico
Don Q rum is made at Destileria Serralles at Ponce in the south of Puerto Rico. The tour is not at the distillery but at Castillo Serrallés. It’s Puerto Rico’s second-largest distillery and oldest family-owned company going back to 1865. The tours are busy with groups, so it’s recommended to book ahead.
You’ll receive a welcome drink, and a guided tour to learn about the Serralles family history, dating back to the 19th century. You’ll discover a behind-the-scenes look at their rum-making process, from molasses fermentation to barrel ageing. It’s a fun experience as you’ll get to mix some drinks at the end in the Don Q mixology station and there’s a range of tours to choose from.
Habitation Clément, Martinique
On the east coast of Martinique, Habitation Clément is set in a former sugar plantation with 16 hectares of beautiful gardens and outbuildings. This included a Creole house dating back to the 18th century, art installations, and seasonal exhibitions. The tour is self-guided and comes with a map it’s that widespread.
After collecting tickets at the booth, follow the trail of amazing garden sculptures and trees. The museum experience includes large machinery outside, and then moves indoors to an extensive array of information boards with artifacts from the old distillery. You can view the Rhum Clément casks at four cellars which in total hold more than two million litres of rum. There’s a tasting at the end in the shop where you can try the latest releases, like the seasonal Clément Canne Blue. The shop presents an extensive range, many may not be available in your home country.
Bayou Rum Distillery, Louisiana, USA
The largest privately-owned rum distillery in the United States, and the oldest family-owned sugar mill. It’s a local success story in Louisiana. 3 hours from New Orleans or two and a half from Houston in Texas, and just off Hwy 10. The rum is made from local Louisiana Sugarcane.
It’s an informative guided tour that is interactive as you wander around the site, learn about the production, and see the barrels in the warehouse. You’ll finish with a tasting of their range of rums, and rum liqueur. The gift shop is quite extensive
Some notes on these ‘Premier League’ of Rum Distillery Tours to manage your visit expectations:
- Check tour availability as some can be closed on Mondays, weekends, or holidays.
- Tours can be separate from production, with a focus on videos, displays, and tasting instead.
- These state-of-the-art sites can appeal to non-drinkers with beautiful gardens, art, architecture, and history.
- Sites near cruise stop hubs are recommended to book ahead due to high tour group traffic.
- Explore add-ons like premium tastings or cocktail workshops for a special experience.
- You can save money by making your own way there or opt for a basic tour and dine elsewhere.
- Some tours are worth the entry fee to buy well-priced bottles, others not. Check their exclusive editions.
- Read reviews before you go, to avoid any potential issues like paying on a US card in Cuba.
- For enthusiasts, big tours focus on fun rather than in-depth details; explore nearby distilleries on our global map with 1200+ producers in 105 countries.
In general, factor in your personal preferences, where the tour is, how to get there, and your vacation plans.
“I don’t drink, but enjoyed just learning about the production and history, it was a unique experience.”
All these distilleries and more are on RumGeography.com
Depending on where you are, it is quite possible to visit another distillery on the same day, perhaps a local artisanal producer, to compare the experiences.
We handpicked these tours based on visitor numbers, stellar reviews, and lasting popularity.
Some news to finish on rum lovers, we’ve recently been recognised as one of the Top 25 Rum Blogs on FeedSpot. This underscores our dedication to sharing insights on the world of rum.
Image credits: travel platform user contributions
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn