Our Rum Making Process

Rum and the Caribbean have gone together for centuries.

We’ve been making it on St. Croix for generations.

We start with only the best ingredients. Fresh water from tropical island aquifers and high-quality sugarcane molasses are essential, they give our rum its slightly sweet taste. The mixture is fermented and then distilled. We use a unique five-column distillation process, mastered to remove unwanted impurities, making our rum as smooth as you can get.

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Fermentation

Making rum begins with fermentation. There are a few key ingredients required for fermentation: yeast, water and sugar. We add our own yeast cultures, fresh water from tropical island aquifers and high-quality sugarcane molasses to our open-top fermenters. The whole process takes about 48 hours.

Cruzan® employee inspecting molasses during Cruzan® rum-making process.

Sugarcane molasses

Distillation

We’ve mastered our five-column distillation process to make rum that is smooth and never burns. Some distilleries use a pot-still, which we think leaves too many impurities behind, and can lead to off-flavors and aromas. Our five column distillation process enables us to remove most impurities for a smoother, more distinct rum.

Gary Nelthropp, Master Distiller

Aging

Aged anywhere between one and twelve years, all of our rum is placed in barrels previously used for bourbon or whiskey, giving it distinct welcoming aromas. Our light rum is aged for one year, giving it a sweet but subtle flavor. Our dark rum is aged for two years, leading to a bolder taste.

Charred American oak barrels

A smooth and rare character.

Cruzan^® Rum touts a smoothness that stands out from other rums. Achieved by removing fusel oils and most impurities from the liquid, the magic is all in the distillation using our five-column process and aging our one-of-a-kind rum in American oak barrels. It sounds complicated, but we’ve had generations to perfect this smooth rum found nowhere else.