I’ve found that if you want something done right, you should do it yourself.
I love rum and it’s important to me. I need a ready supply without having to go to Cost-U-Less (our Costco equivalent). After the hurricanes hit in 2017, Cost-U-Less was closed for several years. I don’t like having to go searching for my favorite drink.
So I decided to start a rum distillery. That way, I can’t run out.
Just 2 weeks ago my wife and I just received our business license and distilled our first 30-gallon barrel of rum (we’ll also be making gin and vodka).
How the heck we got here is a bit nuts. I was already living my island dream doing weddings on the beach. But during Covid my wife and I had bought an old abandoned to fix up with all our newfound free time.
After a 3-year rehab, in December of 2024 we were nearly finished with the building. I was in the market to buy buy a few old rum barrels to decorate the space. So I asked a buddy that owned a distillery if he had any spares laying around. I think his exact words were, “yeah you can have a couple barrels or you can have all 120 of them”. Apparently, he was looking to get out of the business. 30 days later I was the proud owner of 120 rum barrels, 2 stills and a few thousand gallons of aged rum.
So now, on my non-wedding days, I’m in the rum laboratory doing lots of testing. We will only be selling our rum at the distillery in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
So if you make it down for a visit, you will definitely need to stop in for a tasting with me.
