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. To learn more about the various Jamaican distilleries, start here.
The core of this page is a comprehensive list of Jamaican rum marques made today. While I suggest you first read what immediately follows, you can also jump directly to a specific distillery via the links below.
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 mentioned on the Smith & Cross bottle.
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
| Name | Ester Level gr/hL AA | Notes |
| OWH | 40-80 | Outram W Hussey |
| LFCH | 90-120 | Lawrence Francis Close Hussey (Per Christelle Harris) |
| HES | 250 | Hampden Estate Sugar. One-time distillation. Marque first seen in 2022 in LMDW catalog. |
| LROK | 300-400 | Light Rum Owen Kelly |
| HLCF | 500-600 or 450-550 | Hampden Light Continental Flavoured |
| ◆H | 900-1000 | Diamond H |
| HGML | 1000-1100 (or, 1100-1200) | Hampden George MacFarquhar Lawson |
| C◆H | 1300-1400 | C Diamond H |
| DOK | 1500-1600 | Dermot Owen Kelly-Lawson |
Sources:
- https://rumboom.de/2017/05/02/jamaika-hampden-2000-und-die-hampden-marks/
- https://singlecaskrum.wordpress.com/2017/09/28/6059/
- Personal correspondence
Long Pond
| Name | Esters gr/hL AA | Fermentation | Distillation | Notes |
| CRV | 0-20 | Column | No longer made | |
| CQV | 20-50 | Column | No longer made | |
| LRM | 50-90 | Light | Light pot | |
| MBK | 70-80 | |||
| ITP/LSO | 90-120 | Light | Light pot | Ive Trewlany Pot. Formerly made by Worthy Park as LP. |
| MTR | 95-100 | |||
| MDR | 145-150 | |||
| HJC/LIB | 120-150 | Light | Light pot | Formerly made at Caymanas |
| VRW/IRW | 150-250 | Light | Medium pot | Vale Royale Wedderburn – Marque taken over from Vale Royale distillery. |
| HHHS | 275-375 | Light | Medium pot | |
| F◆G | 300 | |||
| RIW | 400 | |||
| OCLP | 375-450 | ? | ? | |
| LPS | 400-550 | Heavy (muck pit + dunder) | Heavy pot | Long Pond Special |
| STC♥E | 550-700 | Heavy (muck pit + dunder) | Heavy pot | Simon Thompson Cambridge Estate, purchased by Long Pond, marque transferred. |
| TECA | 1200-1300 | Heavy (muck pit + dunder) | Heavy pot | Tilston Estate Continental ‘A’ |
| TECB | 1300-1400 | Heavy (muck pit + dunder) | Heavy pot | Tilston Estate Continental ‘B’ |
| TECC | 1500-1600 | Heavy (muck pit + dunder) | Heavy pot | Tilston Estate Continental ‘C’ |
New Yarmouth
| Name | Ester Level gr/hL AA | Notes |
| NYE/VL | <negligible> | Very light (?) Column distilled |
| NYE/WL | 10-25 | Extra light (?) Column distilled |
| NYE | 40-80 | Pot still |
| NYECC | 40-80 | Pot still (?) |
| NYE/R | 35-80 | * Pot still |
| NYE/P | 95-150 | * Plummer |
| NYE/W | 150-250 | * Wedderburn |
| NYE/CR | 250-350 | * |
| NYE/HM | 500-700 | * Hugh Murdoch |
| NYE/RH | 900-1000 | * Robert Henriques |
| NYE/WM | 1300-1400 | * William McConnell |
| NYE/WK | 1500-1600 | * Winston Kennedy |
Sources: Personal correspondence
Clarendon/Monymusk
| Name | Esters gr/hL AA | Fermentation | Distillation | Notes |
| MBS/MLT/MLL | <10 or <60 | Light | Column | |
| CRV-M | <10 | Light | Column | |
| MSR | <10 | Light | Column | |
| MSP | 60-70 | Light | Light pot | Formerly made at Sevens Estate |
| MBK/AH | 70-80 or 60-90 | Light | Light pot | |
| MTR | 95-100 | Light | Light pot | |
| MPG/CHP | 110-125 or 90-125 | Light | Light pot | Formerly produced at Jamaica Sugar Estates |
| MDR | 145-150 | Light | Light pot | |
| EMB | 240-250 or 125-175 | Light + heavy fermentation (no dunder) | Medium pot | Blending rum, formerly made at Bog Estate |
| MMW | 290-300 | Light + heavy fermentation (no dunder) | Medium pot | Monymusk Wedderburn |
| MLC | 450-550 or 500-600 | Heavy fermentation (no dunder) | Heavy pot | Monymusk Light Continental |
Worthy Park
| Name | Ester Level gr/hL AA | Notes |
| WPUL | Worthy Park Ultra Light | |
| WPEL | < 60 | Worthy Park Extra Light |
| WPL | 60-119 | Worthy Park Light |
| WPM | 120-239 | Worthy Park Medium Light |
| WPH | 240-360 | Worthy Park Heavy Light |
| WPE | Up to 800 | Worthy Park Extra |
Sources:
- https://rumdiariesblog.wordpress.com/tag/worthy-park-oloroso-rum-review/
- Personal communications
Appleton Estate
| Name | Ester Level gr/hL AA | Notes |
| VL | <negligible> | Column distilled. Possibly no longer made. |
| APEL | 15 | Column distilled. Possibly no longer made. |
| APCC | 45-80 | Appleton 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:
| Owner | Distillery |
| 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 Limited | Sevens |
| New Yarmouth Ltd. | New Yarmouth |
| Caymanas Estates Ltd. | Caymanas |
| Worthy Park Ltd. | Worthy Park |
| Innswood Estate Ltd. | lnnswood |
| Bernard Lodge Sugar Company | Bernard Lodge |
| United Estates Ltd. | Bybrook |
Note: This page is a work in progress. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have corrections or information to share!