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join the club gift a membershipSituated on the island of Barbados, considered to be the birthplace of Rum, The West Indies Rum Distillery is the island's second oldest and largest distillery with a rich tradition of producing a variety of traditional Bajan (Barbadian) Rums since it was founded in 1893.
Today, The West Indies Rum Distillery produces 80% of the island's Rum, and its portfolio consists of widely popular award-winning brands such as Cockspur Rum, Stade’s, and Plantation Rum. The West Indies Rum Distillery produces Rum for all of the bottlers in Barbados and a handful of other foreign companies.
Bajan Rums are typically produced with a combination of column and pot stills, which means Rum from Barbados is well-balanced and somewhere between light Rums and heavy, dark Rums. The West Indies Rum Distillery crafts Rum from sugar cane molasses, sourced from Barbados and Guyana.
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The West Indies Rum Distillery is located in Brighton, Black Rock, in the southern parish of St. Michael on the island of Barbados, standing on a beautiful tropical beach, just a couple of feet from the sea.
It was founded in 1893 when George Stade and his brother realized their dream of crafting Barbados Rum of top-notch quality and selling it to all merchants and blenders on the island. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the mention of the “Stade’s” marque on a bottle of Barbados blended Rum from a Barbados merchant would should a rank of high quality.
The West Indies Rum Distillery uses several methods of distillation, from the modern four-column continuous still to their old traditional pot stills, as well as the only remaining Vulcan triple chamber still in the world. The facility can crank out a maximum capacity of nine million liters every year and boasts a storage capacity of over one and a half million liters.
After working together for 20 years, the distillery entered a partnership with Maison Ferrand in 2017, via Ferrand’s owner and Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel, a long-time friend and advocate of the West Indies Rum Distillery team. This means that since 2017, 100% of all Plantation Rums of Barbados Origin are produced right there.
In 2020, a new visitor center opened on the premises with guided tours and tastings available, providing insight into the rich Rum-making history of Barbados.