BRIDGETOWN — In the early hours of the day, when the horizon is painted with orange hues, tranquility envelops Pebbles Beach, a pristine stretch of sand at the southern edge of Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados. Shortly, schoolchildren in vibrant uniforms will fill the streets on their way to class, and tourists will flock to the turquoise, crystal-clear waters.
For now, the beach belongs to racehorses from the nearby Barbados Turf Club, led by their handlers for a morning swim — a surreal yet quintessentially Barbadian scene.
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Barbados stands apart from its Caribbean neighbors. Unlike the steep, volcanic terrain found elsewhere, the island’s 169 square miles rose from a coral reef, forming rolling, green landscapes. Its flat terrain quickly attracted British settlers, who claimed the territory for King James I in 1625 and began colonization in 1627. The Arawak people, who had lived there for centuries, were decimated, and the island was deforested to establish sugarcane plantations.
The island became known as “the sugar island,” with 26 sugar mills fueling its prosperity. Yet this success was built on the backs of enslaved people. Initially, Irish and Scottish convicts and political prisoners were sent to Barbados as indentured laborers, a practice known as being “Barbadoed.” They were later joined by a majority of Africans forcibly brought to the island.
Today, sugarcane fields still dominate the landscape, their tall stalks standing alongside palm trees that once served as landmarks for enslaved people navigating plantations. Dotted across the island are chattel houses, small wooden structures elevated on blocks. These homes, owned by freed slaves but built on land they did not own, were designed to be portable, reflecting the precarious nature of their lives.
The rise of rum production
A museum in Bridgetown houses a document that, while seemingly unremarkable, holds significant historical importance as the earliest known reference to the word “rum.” Dated 1650, this lease agreement for the Three Houses Plantation details its assets, including “four large mastic-wood liquor vats for rum.”
Shortly after the agreement, Portuguese Jews fleeing Europe and Dutch settlers from Brazil arrived on the island, introducing sugarcane, milling technology and distillation expertise. While sugarcane-based spirits already existed —particularly in Brazil — Barbados was the first to transform rum into a fully manufactured product designed for trade.
A few traces remain of the early days of the flourishing sugar industry and the development of its by-product, rum (at the time, only molasses, a residue from sugar crystallization, was used for distillation). Following the main road that winds through the island, the east coast reveals its untamed beauty, with large rocky outcrops on the shoreline acting as sentinels facing the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.
To the far north, a small road leads up to a 17th-century plantation still in operation. In the distance, the lush vegetation seems to guard the magic of the place. At the foot of a 400-year-old sandbox tree with a fiercely spiked trunk and massive mahogany trees planted in the mid-18th century, the St. Nicholas Abbey estate emerges like a mirage.
It is one of four distilleries currently operating on the island.
Inspired by the Dutch style that was very fashionable in England at the time, this two-story Jacobean building with cream-colored walls proudly displays its curvilinear gables, reminiscent of those lining the canals of Amsterdam, since 1658.
Since its construction, the farm has remained unchanged, with 160 hectares of sugarcane fields that now also produce rum. The Warren family, who purchased the estate in 2006, installed a small distillery a few years later. It is one of four distilleries currently operating on the island, a mere drop in the ocean compared to the 167 sites recorded in 1850.
Not far away lies perhaps the most renowned distillery due to its status. Mount Gay, owned by the Rémy Cointreau group since 2014, was established in 1703, making it the oldest rum distillery in the world still in operation. A visit to the site, both educational and fascinating, reveals a rarity: a copper Coffey still, or column still, one of only two in use worldwide — the other, used for whisky, belongs to Nikka in Japan.
Brought back into service in 2019 after decades of dormancy, it produces uniquely characterful and particularly floral rums, as demonstrated by the first batch released just a few weeks ago. But this marvel pales in comparison to one of the most incredible collections of stills in the world, much of which remains operational.
The past is alive
To uncover this hidden gem, take the scenic west coast road, where stunning bays, quaint villages and elegant homes create a picturesque journey. North of the capital lies the unassuming West Indies Rum Distillery. Near a colorful mural painted by local students, a charming wooden house with a royal blue tin roof displays the sign for Stade’s Rum.
This newly launched brand, alongside the iconic Planetary (formerly Plantation), pays homage to founder George Stade, a pioneer in still design and distillation.
Once through the gates of what turns out to be the visitor’s reception area, the eye is immediately drawn to the view. Between traditional houses, the sea lies directly ahead. From the tasting platform set up on the beach, the site reveals its full grandeur and uniqueness as the only seaside distillery in the Caribbean.
While the tall distillation columns are hidden behind imposing buildings, the true treasures lie elsewhere. One must venture into the heart of the premises to discover the “Pot Still Alley.”
It is considered by experts to be the oldest still in the world still in operation.
Among the exceptional stills that produce a uniquely diverse range of rum profiles, stands the Vulcain, a one-of-a-kind triple-chamber still. This is a model used in the early 19th century by American rye whiskey producers and thought to be lost forever.
“Seeing this Vulcain brought back to life is like seeing a living dinosaur,” says Alexandre Gabriel, the owner of the site since 2017. Beside it are the Old Gregg, from 1850, and an icon that had been rusting in the adjacent garden, the Rockley. Dating back to 1780 and fully restored by a boiler-making workshop in Cognac, it is considered by experts to be the oldest still in the world still in operation.
A national pride, it was recommissioned by Prime Minister Mia Mottley. The Batson’s Bitch, named for its fiery character, will also soon be brought back to life. The John Dore #88, on the other hand, was entirely reconstructed as an exact replica of an old model, thanks to exceptional documents found on-site in a massive safe nicknamed “The Distiller’s Vault.”
Reviving Barbados’ rum heritage
Before Gabriel’s acquisition, no one paid attention to the hundreds of archival documents stored here: manuscripts detailing the history of the distillery and production methods, technical diagrams meticulously outlining the architecture of the stills used over the decades — a treasure trove echoing the past. These documents have helped revive practices such as seawater fermentation and working with wild yeasts.
Rum is Barbados, and Barbados is rum.
Gabriel is a perpetual experimenter, constantly innovating to reveal the nearly infinite diversity of Barbadian rums, including those made from sugarcane juice. Typically blends of column and pot still rums, their uniqueness lies in their exceptional elegance, complexity, textured body, and smooth finish. Even George Washington appreciated their quality. After his only trip outside the United States, to Barbados in 1751, he specifically ordered Barbadian rum for his inauguration as the first president of the United States in 1789.
“Rum is Barbados, and Barbados is rum,” Mottley likes to remind us. Every summer, the Crop Over festival, which dates back to the 1780s, celebrates the end of the sugarcane harvest over the course of a month with the rhythms of calypso and vibrant parades. During the festivities, a king and queen of the cane are crowned, honoring the best cutters of the season. And year-round, a walk across the island is enough to prove the prime minister right.
The social ties of rum
On almost every street corner, there is a rum shop. Neither a bar nor a restaurant, these are quintessential spaces that hold the very heartbeat of the island. Instantly recognizable, they are typically located in chattel houses or alongside homes. Often, they consist of nothing more than a simple alleyway sheltered by a tin roof.
There are 1,600 of these shops for a population of only 286,000 inhabitants. Here, rum is bought by the bottle and shared. A square table for playing dominoes is never far away. The game runs deep in the veins of Barbadians, who play it with a dramatic flair, slamming the pieces onto the table. Meanwhile, on television, a cricket match plays, a legacy of British culture.
In 2025, a proposal will be submitted to UNESCO to recognize several rum-related sites.
When paying, change is sometimes given with a rare Barbadian bill. On it is the portrait of John Redman Bovell, one of the country’s great figures, with rum in the background. In the late 19th century, the agronomist built upon the work of a former agricultural laborer, Iran Aeus Harper, who discovered in 1858 that sugarcane could reproduce through its tiny seeds, not just by cuttings.
Bovell went on to establish the Sugar Cane Breeding Station, the oldest sugarcane breeding center in the world, which at the time helped save plantations threatened by disease.
Rum and its rich history are deeply intertwined with the identity of Barbados and its people. In 2025, a proposal will be submitted to UNESCO to recognize several rum-related sites as part of the World Heritage List.
Since becoming a republic in 2021 and officially severing ties with the British crown, Barbados is forging a new chapter in its story — one that balances resilience, reverence for tradition, and a focus on the future.
