Jamaican Rum Marques Roundup

If you’re obsessed with Jamaican rum and its history, on this page you’ll find all sorts of super-geeky details about Jamaican distilleries, the history of the Jamaican Spirits Pool, rum marques and much more.

Let’s kick things off with a comprehensive list of Jamaican rum marques being made today. While I suggest you read what immediately follows for important context, if you wish to jump directly to a specific distillery, click on the appropriate link.

All Jamaican rum distilleries make a variety of distillates, from very light rums, up to extremely flavorful and funky. Each batch of rum falls within one of their “marques. Jamaican distilleries register their marques with the Jamaica Spirit Pool.

Some famous marques from times past include:

  • Common Clean (80-150 gr/hL AA)
  • Plummer (150-200 gr/hL AA)
  • Wedderburn (200-300 gr/hL AA)
  • Continental (700-1600 gr/hL AA)

A note on “g/hL AA”: The commonly used measurement for esters is grams per hectoliter. This is typically written as g/hL AA, or grams per hectoliter of absolute alcohol. For example, an ethyl acetate measurement of 1 g/hL AA means there’s one gram of ethyl acetate in each hectoliter of spirit. (Water in the spirit is ignored.) One gram is about 0.03 ounces. A hectoliter is about 26 U.S. gallons.

You may recognize the Plummer and Wedderburn names, as they’re referenced in regards to Smith & Cross. If you want to dig deeper into Jamaican distilleries, start here.

Fun fact: highest ester level allowed for export by Jamaican regulations is 1600 gr/hL AA.

Before getting to the marques, a brief note that Modern Caribbean Rum extensively covers all aspects of Jamaican rum and all its distilleries in a 60-page chapter on Jamaica, plus other chapters on fermentation and rum flavor science.

Hampden Estate

NameEster Level gr/hL AANotes
OWH40-80 Outram W Hussey
LFCH90-120 Lawrence Francis Close Hussey (Per Christelle Harris)
HES250Hampden Estate Sugar. One-time distillation. Marque first seen in 2022 in LMDW catalog.
LROK300-400Light Rum Owen Kelly
HLCF500-600 or 450-550Hampden Light Continental Flavoured
H900-1000 Diamond H
HGML1000-1100 (or, 1100-1200) Hampden George MacFarquhar Lawson
CH1300-1400C Diamond H
DOK1500-1600Dermot Owen Kelly-Lawson
List of rum marks (marques) for Hampden Estate in Jamaica
Source: Hampden Estate presentation

Sources:

Long Pond

NameEsters gr/hL AAFermentationDistillationNotes
CRV0-20ColumnNo longer made
CQV20-50ColumnNo longer made
LRM50-90LightLight pot
MBK70-80
ITP/LSO90-120LightLight potIve Trewlany Pot. Formerly made by Worthy Park as LP.
MTR95-100
MDR145-150
HJC/LIB120-150LightLight potFormerly made at Caymanas
VRW/IRW150-250LightMedium potVale Royale Wedderburn – Marque taken over from Vale Royale distillery.
HHHS 275-375LightMedium pot
FG300
RIW400
OCLP375-450??
LPS400-550Heavy
(muck pit + dunder)
Heavy potLong Pond Special
STC♥E550-700Heavy
(muck pit + dunder)
Heavy potSimon Thompson Cambridge Estate, purchased by Long Pond, marque transferred.
TECA1200-1300Heavy
(muck pit + dunder)
Heavy potTilston Estate Continental ‘A’
TECB1300-1400Heavy
(muck pit + dunder)
Heavy potTilston Estate Continental ‘B’
TECC1500-1600Heavy
(muck pit + dunder)
Heavy potTilston Estate Continental ‘C’
List of rum marks (marques)  for Long Pond in Jamaica
Source: Miami Rum Congress Presentation, 2019

New Yarmouth

NameEster Level gr/hL AANotes
NYE/VL<negligible>Very light (?) Column distilled
NYE/WL10-25Extra light (?) Column distilled
NYE40-80Pot still
NYECC40-80Pot still (?)
NYE/R35-80* Pot still
NYE/P95-150* Plummer
NYE/W150-250* Wedderburn
NYE/CR250-350*
NYE/HM500-700* Hugh Murdoch
NYE/RH900-1000* Robert Henriques
NYE/WM1300-1400* William McConnell
NYE/WK1500-1600 * Winston Kennedy
* indicates marques made at the high ester facility at New Yarmouth

Sources: Personal correspondence

Clarendon/Monymusk

NameEsters gr/hL AAFermentationDistillationNotes
MBS/MLT/MLL<10 or <60LightColumn
CRV-M<10LightColumn
MSR<10LightColumn
MSP60-70LightLight potFormerly made at Sevens Estate
MBK/AH70-80 or 60-90LightLight pot
MTR95-100LightLight pot
MPG/CHP110-125 or 90-125LightLight potFormerly produced at Jamaica Sugar Estates
MDR145-150LightLight pot
EMB240-250 or 125-175Light + heavy
fermentation
(no dunder)
Medium potBlending rum, formerly made at Bog Estate
MMW290-300Light + heavy
fermentation
(no dunder)
Medium potMonymusk Wedderburn
MLC450-550 or 500-600Heavy fermentation
(no dunder)
Heavy potMonymusk Light Continental
Sources include: June, 2020 WIRSPA/NRJ/Zavvy session
List of rum marks (marques) for Clarendon distillery in Jamaica
Source: Miami Rum Congress presentation, 2019

Worthy Park

NameEster Level gr/hL AANotes
WPULWorthy Park Ultra Light
WPEL< 60Worthy Park Extra Light
WPL60-119Worthy Park Light
WPM120-239Worthy Park Medium Light
WPH240-360Worthy Park Heavy Light
WPEUp to 800Worthy Park Extra

Sources:

Appleton Estate

NameEster Level gr/hL AANotes
VL<negligible>Column distilled. Possibly no longer made.
APEL 15Column distilled. Possibly no longer made.
APCC 45-80Appleton Common Clean (?) (Pot distilled)
APSP/J 30-75 Molasses and cane juice mash. (Pot distilled)

Sources: Personal correspondence

Jamaica Spirits Pool Background

A bit of history about the Jamaican Spirits (Rum) Pool is found in an obscure document:

In August 1931, at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Sugar Manufactures’ Association, (a) it was decided to take steps for the formation of Rum Pool and (b) to ask Government to pass a “Rum Regulation Law by which no Sugar Manufacturer would be allowed to make in his 1932 crop more than 50% of his average production of the three previous crops. Such a law was enacted and became effective as the Rum Regulation Law 1931 (Law # 25 of 1931).

FORMULATION OF RUM POOL AND RUM RATIONLIZATION
Formulation of Rum Pool and Rum Rationalization were influenced by the success achieved in the formation of the Sugar Pool, and the Jamaica Sugar and Rum Manufacturers Limited was born.

The objective of this company, inter alia, was to promote and regulate the manufacture and marketing of sugar, rum and the by-products of the juice of the sugar cane. Then in March 1932, the first two Agreements were signed between all the local rum manufacturers and the company (the rum pool).

As you would have heard the principle underlying the formation of the Rum Pool was that only rum or alcohol which was ordered in advance by a buyer would be made, so as to keep supply and demand in equilibrium. This obviated the tendency to over produce by utilising all available molasses. It was not until 1951 however that our first export of surplus molasses was made. I believe that the Commission has also been informed as to the manner in which the Rum Pool was governed historically.

Based on inequities which occurred outside of the Rum Pool, it was agreed from as early as 1937 that the “Rum Pool Agreement” must never be discontinued. This was also the recognition of those who were against the Regulation Agreement and that there would be disastrous consequences if the Rum Pool was abolished.

Defunct Jamaican Distilleries

Years are last known operations

  • Barnett: Medium rum.
  • Bernard Lodge: Light rum.
  • Bog (1948): Incorporated into Monymusk. Medium rums
  • Cambridge (1947): Incorporated into Long Pond. High ester rums.
  • Caymanas Estate: Light and medium rum.
  • Frome (1938-1968): Many marks, up to light continental flavoured.
  • Georgia (1939): High ester rums. Destroyed by fire.
  • Gray’s Inn
  • Green Park (1955):  Plummer rum.
  • Holland: Light rum
  • Innswood: Wedderburn. Incorporated into National Rums of Jamaica.
  • Ironshore (1951):
  • Jamaica Sugar Estates
  • Kew (1949): High ester and Wedderburn rum. Light rum.
  • Raheen (1947): Incorporated into Appleton. Light rum.
  • Richmond-Llandovery: Plummer rum.
  • Rose Hall (1960):  Light rum.
  • Serge Island
  • Sevens: Light rum.
  • Vale Royale (1959): Incorporated into Long Pond.  Made Wedderburn rum.

Known Jamaican Distilleries in 1934

At the onset of the Spirits Control Act:

OwnerDistillery
Jamaica Sugar Estates Ltd.Duckenfield
Seaforth Sugar & Rum Ltd.Serge Island
Gray’s Inn (Jamaica) Central Factory Ltd.Gray’s Inn Central
Richmond-Llandovery Ltd. Richmond-Llandovery
Sheriff & Company (Jamaica) Ltd.Long Pond
Vale Royal Estates Ltd.Vale Royal
Barnett Ltd.Catherine Hall
Rose Hall Ltd.Rose Hall
Hampden Estates Ltd.Hampden
The West Indies Sugar Co. Ltd.Frome
The West Indies Sugar Co. Ltd.Monymusk
J. Wray & Nephew Ltd.Appleton
Holland Estate Ltd.Holland
Sevens LimitedSevens
New Yarmouth Ltd.New Yarmouth
Caymanas Estates Ltd.Caymanas
Worthy Park Ltd.Worthy Park
Innswood Estate Ltd.lnnswood
Bernard Lodge Sugar CompanyBernard Lodge
United Estates Ltd.Bybrook
Jamaican Distilleries 1965
Jamaican Distilleries 1965

Note: This page is a work in progress. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have corrections or information to share!