In the early 1900s, a group of Madeiran indentured servants sailed across the Atlantic to Antigua and began doing what they knew best: blending rum and opening their own shops in St. John's. Eight of them eventually pooled their resources to build a distillery of their own — £2,500, a copper still, and a genuine conviction that Antigua's rum deserved a proper home. Antigua Distillery officially opened its doors in 1932 and was formally incorporated in 1933. Nearly a century later, fourth-generation descendants of four of those founding families — the Fararas, DeFreitases, Diazes, and Fernandezes — still run the company today.

The 90th Anniversary Limited Edition is the distillery's tribute to that entire history, built not around a single cask but around the art of blending itself — some of the rarest rums in the English Harbour cellars, aged between 6 and 12 years, brought together and then finished across an extraordinary range of six different cask types: ex-bourbon, French Armagnac and Cognac, apple-forward Calvados from Normandy, sweet Sauternes from Bordeaux, and rare Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine casks. It reads like a world tour of the finest wine and spirit cooperage available, and the resulting rum carries every one of those influences without losing the distillery's own signature character.

That character comes from a genuinely distinctive production method: a long, 36-hour open-top fermentation, followed by distillation through a John Dore/Savalier hybrid still, entirely copper from start to finish, producing an unusually clean distillate. Antigua's climate does the rest — historically the driest island in the Caribbean, hot enough that English Harbour rums mature noticeably faster than most of their Caribbean peers, tasting more mature than their age statements suggest. The result, per the distillery's own notes: bright gold in color, opening on classic Antiguan elements of butterscotch, toffee, and vanilla crème brûlée, followed by bright red apple and pear, cooking spices of nutmeg and cinnamon, cashews, raisins, and figs. The palate is bright and friendly, with cinnamon and vanilla leading into apples, pears, and orange rind, before a warm finish of lingering raisin and nutty tones. A masterclass in blending, from a family business that has spent ninety years — and counting — proving that some of the finest rum in the Caribbean still comes from a handful of Madeiran shopkeepers who simply refused to stop experimenting.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Antigua Distillery Ltd. traces its origins to the early 1900s, when a group of Madeiran indentured servants arrived on the island and began independently blending and selling rum from their own shops in St. John's. Eight of these founders eventually pooled their resources to establish a shared distillery, which opened in 1932 and was officially incorporated in 1933 for the sum of £2,500. Fourth-generation members of four of the founding families — Farara, DeFreitas, Diaz, and Fernandez — remain actively involved in running the company today, and Calbert Francis, the company's sales and marketing VP, has continued to champion the distillery's traditional methods and its Madeiran founding story.

The 90th Anniversary Limited Edition celebrates the distillery's 2023 milestone with a blend built from some of the rarest rums in the English Harbour cellar, aged between 6 and 12 years. Production begins with the distillery's signature method: a 36-hour open-top fermentation, followed by distillation through a John Dore/Savalier hybrid still that is entirely copper from start to finish, producing a distillate the distillery describes as exceptionally clean. Antigua's hot, historically dry climate — the driest in the Caribbean — accelerates barrel maturation considerably faster than in cooler rum-producing regions; English Harbour's own team has noted that their rums consistently taste more mature than their stated age. The blend for this anniversary release is finished across an unusually diverse array of cask types: ex-bourbon barrels alongside French Armagnac, Cognac, and Calvados casks, sweet Sauternes casks from Bordeaux, and rare Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine casks — a multilayered finishing program designed specifically to showcase the distillery's blending expertise rather than any single cask influence. Bottled at 43% ABV.

Critics Reviews

No numerical critic score is confirmed for this specific release at this time. RumX's broader Antigua Distillery aggregate sits at 7.9/10 across 1,151 community reviews of the distillery's full portfolio.

English Harbour / Antigua Distillery official tasting notes:
"2023 denotes a significant milestone in the life of Antigua Distillery. Ninety years ago the company was incorporated by its Founders who were Rum Shop Owners from the Island of Madeira. Our 90th Anniversary release is a blend of rarest Rums in our cellar. In keeping with our traditional method of rum making, this Limited release is Elegant and complex. A multilayered presentation of fruits, nuts, pastry and spices. One of the most interesting examples of an Antigua Rum. Nose: The Antigua Distillery 90th Anniversary Release opens on classic Antiguan elements of butterscotch, toffee and vanilla creme brulee. Followed by lovely bright red apple and pears accompanied by cooking spices of nutmeg and cinnamon, cashews, raisins and figs. Palate: Bright and friendly. The spices lead with cinnamon and vanilla."

Curiada (extended tasting note):
"Celebrates nine decades of traditional Antiguan rum-making with a masterfully complex blend of rare 6-12 year aged rums finished in an extraordinary array of five different cask types — ex-bourbon, Armagnac, Cognac, Calvados, Sauternes, and Tokaji — creating multilayered flavor profiles that move from butterscotch and vanilla crème brûlée through bright orchard fruits to warming baking spices."

Del Mesa Liquor (extended tasting note):
"On the nose, discover an opulent bouquet of caramelized sugar, vanilla bean, and crème brûlée, balanced by bright notes of ripe orchard fruits and the warming embrace of island spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. The palate reveals a smooth complexity — orange zest, toasted oak, and molasses lead into a long, elegant finish of dried fruits, roasted nuts, and a wisp of tobacco."

Rum Stylez (extended tasting note):
"Nose: Classic Antigua aromas with notes of caramel, crème brûlée and vanilla, accompanied by red apples, pears and soft spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste: Lively and balanced, with flavours of apples, pears and orange peel, complemented by spicy notes of cinnamon and vanilla."

Bitters and Bottles (extended tasting note):
"It then opens into a fruity palate of apples, pears, orange rinds. The finish is warm with lingering raisin and nutty tones."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Bright gold in the glass. Classic Antiguan butterscotch, toffee, and vanilla crème brûlée open the nose with immediate warmth, joined by bright red apple and pear. Cooking spices of nutmeg and cinnamon layer in, alongside cashews, raisins, and figs. Caramelized sugar and an opulent, dessert-like sweetness carry throughout — the influence of the Sauternes and Tokaji finishing casks most directly apparent here.

Palate
Bright and friendly, with cinnamon and vanilla leading the entry. Apples, pears, and orange rind carry vivid orchard fruit through the mid-palate, joined by orange zest, toasted oak, and molasses. The multi-cask finishing program shows its full range here — Armagnac and Cognac lending depth, Calvados adding an apple-brandy edge, and the sweet wine casks contributing genuine richness without heaviness.

Finish
Long and elegant, warm with lingering raisin and nutty tones, closing on dried fruit, roasted nuts, and a wisp of tobacco. A finish that rewards patience — the distillery's own multilayered blending philosophy most fully expressed at the very close.

Quick Overview

Category	Details
Style	Blended Aged Caribbean Rum — Limited Anniversary Edition
ABV	43%
Age	Blend of rums aged 6-12 years
Producer	Antigua Distillery Ltd. — English Harbour brand
Founded	Opened 1932, incorporated 1933
Founders	Eight Madeiran indentured servants and rum shop owners
Founding Families	Farara, DeFreitas, Diaz, Fernandez — now 4th generation
Fermentation	36-hour open-top fermentation
Still	John Dore/Savalier hybrid, 100% copper
Finishing Casks	Ex-bourbon, Armagnac, Cognac, Calvados, Sauternes, Tokaji
Climate Advantage	Antigua — historically driest Caribbean island, accelerated maturation
Occasion	Antigua Distillery's 90th anniversary, 2023
Critics	No confirmed numerical score for this specific release; RumX distillery aggregate 7.9/10 (1,151 reviews)
Style / Identity	A showcase of blending mastery — multilayered, dessert-wine-influenced, elegant Antiguan rum
Aromas & Flavors	Butterscotch, toffee, vanilla crème brûlée, red apple, pear, nutmeg, cinnamon, cashew, raisin, fig, orange rind, molasses, tobacco
Bottle Size	750ml

Food Pairings

Dark chocolate and caramel desserts
Crème brûlée and custard-based desserts
Aged hard cheeses
Dried fruit and nut boards
Digestif, on its own

English Harbour Rum

Price

Collections

English Harbour 5 Year Old Rum

English Harbour 90th Anniversary Limited Edition Rum 750ml