Roots of Revival: A Family-Rum Distillery’s Journey in Puerto Rico

Across the bay from the famous Old San Juan neighborhood, on the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, is the prominent Bacardi distillery, worth visiting.

It makes sense that the largest rum distillery in the world, Bacardi, would come to mind when you visited the location that produces over 70% of the rum sold in the United States.

Apart from the large corporations that produce rum, such as Bacardi or Don Q, which are based in Ponce in the south, tiny, artisanal brands have seen a boom in popularity in Puerto Rico.

You can get off the main track and uncover a unique Puerto Rican rum and distillery experience by making a little more preparation.

San Juan Artisan Distillers (SJAD) is the first and only distillery in Puerto Rico to produce its own sugarcane and make its own rum. It is located in Vega Alta, some 22 miles (35.41 km) west of San Juan.

José “Pepe” Álvarez, the creator and president, was formerly in the agriculture industry and felt it was time to attempt something different after the Great Recession in Puerto Rico.

José Roberto Álvarez, his son and chief distiller, clarified, “There had been a long tradition of sugarcane planting in Puerto Rico. We were a global exporter of sugar.”

Puerto Rico “used to be covered in sugarcane farms,” even though the industry had collapsed by the 2000s.

A train was also used to transport sugarcane from the plantations to the sugar mills as it circled the island of Puerto Rico. Thus, it’s a deeply sentimental and cultural part of our history that vanished entirely, according to Álvarez.

They intended to use sugarcane juice, a French method of rum production, to produce a superior quality product in Puerto Rico.

Tragically, as operations continued in 2017, 50–70 acres of their sugarcane farm in Puerto Rico were destroyed by Hurricane Maria.

Following that setback, they introduced their Tres Clavos brand, which is modeled around chichaíto (Puerto Rican moonshine). It was initially made with rum supplied from the Dominican Republic after Maria, but with fruit grown locally.

After they got back on their feet in Puerto Rico, they started utilizing half of their rum from the Dominican Republic, and the Tres Clavos brand evolved into blended rum from the Caribbean.

After the sugarcane farms in Puerto Rico recovered, they were able to introduce their Ron Pepón brand, which is created entirely of their sugarcane juice and has a flavor profile that is “more funky,” grassy, and fruity than the rum that is often found on the island.

According to Alvarez, rum made from sugar or molasses is also far more common in American culture and has stronger overtones of caramel and vanilla.

It is considerably more difficult, expensive, and environmentally destructive to dispose of the debris after creating rum from sugar or molasses than it is to dispose of used sugarcane juice in Puerto Rico.

According to tour guide Alejandra Torres Zayas, in the past, producers in Puerto Rico would discard their garbage into the water without considering the potential harm to the ecosystem. Although there are now government-approved methods for getting rid of it, SJAD’s approach allows them to reapply it to the ground and use it as fertilizer.

Their efforts are beginning to bear fruit. Ron Agricole of SJAD won two gold medals in 2022 and a gold medal in 2021 at the Fifty Best White Rums, showcasing Puerto Rico’s excellence in rum production.

Those who do travel to the distillery outside of San Juan, Puerto Rico, report feeling a “family vibe” and receiving “personal attention,” according to Alvarez.

Individuals “arrive happy and leave happier” every time they visit Puerto Rico.

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The article image is courtesy of Gegeonline on Canva