What a Tour, that world famous Cruzan Rum!

Anyone can tour the Cruzan Rum Distillery, located on the West End of St. Croix, and I highly recommend that you do! At the distillery local culture, history, and, well, rum, come together in one unique experience. In a nutshell, this is why this tour was so good:

Our tour guide was friendly & knowledgeable.
The tour lasted was VERY informative.
You get to see EVERYTHING on this tour. I mean EVERYTHING! They guys have to literally stop working to let the group go through!
You get to sample the famous rum at the end of the tour in the visitor’s center.
The employees will package your purchase so that you can check it at the airport.

Nothing stands between you and the giant vats of simmering liquid. You walk the same cat walk the Cruzan Rum employees walk to test the “waters” for quality. Then, walk right over the steaming waste product flowing under ground on its way to being processed for further use. Stand in the warehouse that houses the charcoal-ed rum barrels stacked 7 high, their belly’s awaiting the sweet liquid. You walk right into the production house where you can talk to the gentleman with a giant hose pumping the rum into barrels, or at least I did! This production is happening all around us- it was so cool! I felt like we were getting a special tour; no way would they let people this close to their precious rum production! But, everyone receives this ‘special treatment’. That IS the tour. This is the REAL DEAL.

This tour really is for everyone, even my 16 month old (who was very well behaved on top of her on Daddy’s shoulders) and the young boy who seemed to be around 6 or 7. It really kept his attention, and you could tell he was into the giant machinery all over the place, hoses, men working. Our tour group had people of all ages and walks of life including tourists, locals, kids, adults and even a senior citizen or two.

It is not about whether you drink or like Cruzan Rum; in fact, when I asked our tour guide, her favorite flavor, she responded with ‘I don’t drink.’ But, she knew her stuff and had a response for EVERY question inquisitive cousin Kyle had to ask. It is about seeing the production, the real production, of a product that is for the most part, still locally made on St. Croix (they do send it to Florida for distribution and to add the yummy flavors such as mango, banana, and pineapple). It was hands down, the best money I have spent on St. Croix in over 5 years of living here, even better than the vanilla-rum daiquiri at Rum Runners.

There is not an age requirement to take the tour; but you must be 18 or older to sample the rum (or to drink anywhere on St. Croix, with proper ID). The distillery is open for yours Monday through Friday from 9:00AM to 4:00PM, Saturdays 10:00AM to 2:00PM, and Sundays (Nov-April only): 10:00 AM to 2:00PM. The distillery is also open any day there’s a cruise ship visiting the island. You don’t need to call in advance, just show up; new tours begin regularly. There are stairs you have to climb up and go down, so take this into consideration if you have mobility challenges.

Since taking this tour, I have let everyone, and I mean everyone know how much fun it was. I will be escorting all of my future guests there personally in the future. Ok, now make yourself a rum drink. Check out Cruzan Rum’s official website for recipes and more.