I first posted this in 2018 the same four questions keep coming up on social media regarding rum-centric Jamaica visits:
- What distilleries should I go to? (There are only 6 on the island)
- What bottles should I bring back?
- Where should I buy Jamaican rum?
- Where should I drink?
Rick Steves, I am not. This is wallet-sized reference card material.
Distilleries Anyone Can Visit
- Hampden Estate – Rum holy ground. Do it. (Tour Page)
- Appleton Estate – Owned by Campari/Wray & Nephew. (Tour Page)
- Worthy Park – Home of Zan. (Tour Page)
I strongly suggest making a tour reservation at least several days in advance to avoid disappointment the day of.
Jamaica is a big island. Don’t harbor expectations that you can hit all the distilleries in a day. In fact, the three distilleries above are far enough apart that visiting more than one in a day makes for a very long day. You will spend a LOT of time in the car.
The closest distillery to Montego Bay is Hampden Estate.
Distilleries Requiring an Industry Connection to Visit
Both are part of National Rums of Jamaica, which is co-owned by Planteray Rum and Dememera Distillers Ltd (El Dorado). There are currently no public tours. However, if you’re in the drinks industry, you may be able to use your industry “connections” to get in. Bartenders: start with your local brand rep with connections to Planteray or El Dorado. Both are well worth visiting, so use those connections!
By the way, if distilleries are your jam, check out my Jamaican Rum Distillery Cheat Sheet.
The Off Limit Distillery
New Yarmouth is Appleton’s sibling distillery and also owned by Campari/Wray & Nephew. Very, very few people get into New Yarmouth. Even those who work for the company.
What should I bring back?
Contrary to popular belief, you won’t find an abundance of local-only gems in Jamaica. Nearly all of the “exported “premium” rums are exported to the US, EU, and the UK. Nor will you find abundance of private label / independent bottler rums on the island. It’s high unlikely that you’ll find Velier Long Pond TECC, Doctor Bird, or even Smith & Cross. Unless it’s bottled in Jamaica, there’s a very high chance you won’t find it there.
Before your trip, check your local market for Appleton/Hampden/Worthy Park/Monymusk rums, and note their cost. In many cases you may be able to get it for less at home than in Jamaica.
Typically, there are only a small handful of distillery exclusive bottlings. However, distilleries may have bottles that aren’t in your market. For instance, I brought back two cask-finished Worthy Park rums that are only exported to the EU market.
Most of the local-only brands like D&G and Conquering Lion are budget-oriented brands made by one of the four producers noted above. Kingston 62 is a budget-friendly brand made by J. Wray & Nephew and was previously known as J. Wray in some markets.
While not an exceptional rum by any stretch, many collect-them-all rum hounds buy the Jamaican-only version Captain Morgan which is made by Wray & Nephew rather than Diageo. (Seriously, it’s roughly equivalent to Kingston 62 Gold.)
Hampden’s Rum Fire isn’t available in many markets, so if you’re into the super-funk, grab a bottle or two. Charley’s JB is J. Wray & Nephew’s version of a “Trelawny-style” funky overproof rum. It’s not exported, so worth grabbing if you a funkmeister, or know someone who is.
Where should I buy Jamaican rum?
Most liquor stores are modest affairs at best. Again, the locals aren’t (usually) buying Hampden Great House or Appleton Legend.
Hampden, Worthy Park, and Appleton have retail stores. However, most of what you find is their export product lineup, i.e., things you can get at home. Don’t expect tons of distillery-only bottlings, and if you do find one, it won’t be inexpensive. Jamaican distilleries know their rum is in high demand!
The best place we found to stock up on rums in Jamaica was actually a warehouse store: Mega Mart, in Kingston. Zan, my Jamaican-residing rum brother adds:
Mega Mart also has a location in Montego Bay, but other chain supermarkets with decent selection are Hi-Lo, Loshusan, General Foods (in Kingston) or Progressive Supermarkets. These are pretty much across the island. There’s a very random well stocked spot near Ocho Rios. It’s at a BOOT gas station which also has a small supermarket with a (very) good local rum selection. I’ve seen some limited bottlings available there.
As you depart you may find a few hard-to-find bottles at the airport duty free. Check out this web site to see what (might) be available at the airport. However, duty free may or may not be a viable option, depending on if your flight home has layovers, or other circumstances.
Where should I drink?
Jamaica has no shortage of rum bars, but most are simple, roadside enterprises. If you’re looking for craft cocktails or amazing Tiki, you’ll have a tough swim upstream. Jamaica, and most of the Caribbean, is not a hotbed of cutting-edge mixology. (Yes, there are some exceptional bars and mixologist in the Caribbean, but they are very few and far between.)
All-inclusive resorts may be all-you-can-drink, but their backbars aren’t stocked with Appleton 21 or Hampden New Beginnings. Set your expectations accordingly and you’ll have a good time.
Ting & Wray (Ting soda and Wray & Nephew Overproof) is a common drink on the island. At our hotel, our WIRSPA group upgraded to Ting and Appleton 12 — certainly was delightful given the surroundings. In the absence of Ting, Schweppes Grapefruit works – so says a local!
Visiting Jamaica in October of this year, I’m out of NY and you would be surprised at how barren the rum market is here except for Manhattan which i really don’t frequent. Every liquor store has Bacardi’s, Captains, a few Cruzan, Mount Gay and few others. Couldn’t even find Denizen and i even called the rep! Plantation. Real McCoy, Flor de cana are very scarce. Lemon Hart and Hamilton not seen. I had to drive to new Hampshire to get Smith & Cross. To my question. Does Jamaica have different Barbados, Antigua, panama rums? English Harbor, Can Brava and such in inventory? I have Hamilton and wray & nephew over proof and am not really interested in those. Trying to increase my inventory with some standards i cannot seem to acquire. Thanks
In general, not really. Most of the islands feature whatever’s locally made, so Akamai can rum in Jamaica, Barbados rum in Barbados, and so forth.
Not that it’s impossible to find non-native rums, but it’s unlikely to be a selection that beats the good stores in the US.