Barbados Rum

Barbados is considered the birthplace of the favorite drink of pirates, the navy and millions of enthusiasts after them. The distillation of rum on the Caribbean island started in the 1640s, after sugarcane had been introduced from Dutch Brazil. The earliest evidence of Barbadian rum distillation comes from 1703 at the Mount Gilboa Plantation on the north of Barbados. Mount Gay, as the distillery is now known, is believed to be the oldest operating rum distillery in the world. The largest distillery in Barbados is The West Indies Rum Distillery. It was established in 1893 and accounts for about 80% of the island’s rum production. Foursquare, located on a former sugar plantation and reopened in 1996, and the recently revived 17th-century St. Nicholas Abbey are the other big players in Barbadian rum.