Come visit the Cruzan Rum Distillery and enjoy an immersive experience into the world of our award-winning rum. Cruzan Rum believes St. Croix is a good place to make great rum. With it’s vibrant community and welcoming culture, our island of St. Croix shapes the rum we make, one we are proud to share with you. Our guided walking tour takes you on the aromatic journey of turning molasses into rum at the only still functioning historic distillery site in the Virgin Islands. Following your tour, you’ll visit our Sampling Bar and taste a variety of Cruzan Rums, and sip signature cocktails. Make sure to visit this fun and historic attraction while you are on St. Croix. With a newly relaunched guided tour and freshly renovated Visitor Center, the Cruzan Rum Distillery is a can’t miss experience! Book your tour online now! Reservations are required for the tour.
Distillery Tour
It is with great excitement that we announce Cruzan Rum is relaunching our Visitor Experience Program and it is bigger and better than ever! We’re thrilled to offer you a newly renovated Visitor Center and invite our guests on a tour of the facility. Our guided walking tour takes you on the aromatic journey of turning molasses into rum at the only still functioning historic distillery site in the Virgin Islands. Following your tour, you’ll get a chance to step up to the Sampling Bar where each guest gets their choice of 2 mixed drinks from the drink menu and up to 4 samples of any the Cruzan Rums. Children are welcome on the tour, and will get their choice of 2 juices or soft drinks in lieu of rum.
Tour Hours
The Cruzan Rum Distillery is open Monday through Friday and currently offers tours at 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 3:00pm, and reservations are required for the tour.
Book your distillery tour online now!
About Cruzan Rum
Beginning in 1760 with the establishment of the land we make our rum on today-The Estate Diamond, the island of St. Croix and generations of the Nelthropp family have influenced each flavor, and left their mark on every barrel and batch. From everyone who shows up to run our distillery to the island we call home, our rum is named for the people and the place that made it all possible. To us, there would never be any rum without the Crucians who have always supported it all.
The Nelthropp Family
Generations of knowledge and care. Critical to Cruzan Rum’s success, the Nelthropps like to say that the rum is the second most important thing, behind family. As tight knit as the barrels that age our rum, they are inviting, warm and easy to be around. A fact made clear by the smooth and complex rum they have guided for decades. With roots on St. Croix that stretch back to the 1800s, the Nelthropps not only know everything there is to know about rum, they are closely connected to the people and culture that influence decisions in the distillery every day.
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.
Book your distillery tour online now!
Making Cruzan Rum
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.
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.
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.
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.
Book your distillery tour online now!
