Barbados is home to Mount Gay, often described as the world’s oldest rum distillery.
Mount Gay traces its documented history to 1703, when a deed recorded a distillery on Barbados. The company’s name honors Sir John Gay Alleyne, a Barbadian plantation owner and politician who managed the operation in the 18th century.
Barbados has a long association with sugarcane, which supplied the molasses used to make rum. The island’s rum industry developed from plantation-era sugar production, and Mount Gay remains one of its best-known exports. Its visitor experiences explain fermentation, distillation, blending, and aging.
“Oldest rum distillery” is a traditional description based on the 1703 record, rather than a claim that the current buildings or every part of the operation dates continuously from that year. Barbados is also associated with other historic rum producers, including Foursquare.