Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum

Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum. St. Lucia Distillers, Roseau, Saint Lucia — widely considered one of the finest spiced rums in the world, built on a blend of pot and column still rums aged in ex-bourbon barrels and infused with local St. Lucian spices and fruits — including Bois Bandé, a wild Caribbean bark renowned as a potent botanical — for a complex, balanced spice profile that works as well neat as in cocktails.

St. Lucia Distillers was founded by the Barnard family, who have been rum pioneers on Saint Lucia since the mid-1800s. Third-generation Denis Barnard established the island's first commercial distillery at Dennery. His son Laurie Barnard, who became Chairman of St. Lucia Distillers, drove a radical vision for the company in the 1990s: rather than relying solely on a column still and molasses — “which is one-dimensional” — he commissioned three copper pot stills to join the existing Coffey still, and replanted sugarcane around the distillery after it had ceased in 1962. The result was a diverse palette of distillates from different still types and cask types, giving the blender extraordinary latitude to create complex rums.

Chairman's Reserve Spiced is built on that same multi-still, multi-cask foundation: pot and column still rums are aged in ex-bourbon barrels, blended, and then infused with local St. Lucian spices and fruits including cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice, coconut, lemon peel, orange peel, and Bois Bandé — a bark native to the Caribbean and prized across the islands as a botanical with distinctive aromatic properties. Some spices are steeped directly in the rum for up to a year, while others are added during blending — a dual-infusion method that extracts maximum botanical character while preserving the complexity of the base rum. International Spirits Challenge Trophy winner.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Deep mahogany with a supple red hue. Bitter orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweet raisin lead. Orange peel, Jaffa Cakes, dark chocolate, and festive cinnamon. Warming anise and vanilla with sweet caramel underneath.
• Palate: Rich and sweet mouthfeel bursting with exotic spices — nutmeg, vanilla, clove — balanced by crisp citrus orange peel. Ginger, cinnamon, and allspice take the lead. Concentrated, balanced, and genuinely complex for the spiced rum category.
• Finish: Lightly spicy and lingering. Cloves, cassia bark, dried fruit, and a warm spice fade. Long enough to reward sipping neat.

Specs

• Distillery: St. Lucia Distillers, Roseau, Saint Lucia
• Style: Spiced Rum
• Base: Blend of pot still and column still rums aged in ex-bourbon barrels
• Spices & Botanicals: Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice, coconut, lemon peel, orange peel, Bois Bandé — many steeped for up to one year
• Awards: International Spirits Challenge Trophy; multiple Gold medals (ISC, World Spirits Award)
• ABV: 40% (80 Proof)
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• What does Chairman's Reserve Spiced taste like? Deep mahogany with bitter orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweet raisin on the nose. The palate is rich and complex — exotic spices, clove, vanilla, and nutmeg balanced by crisp citrus orange peel and ginger. The finish is lightly spicy and long. One of the few spiced rums complex enough to sip straight.
• What is Bois Bandé? Bois Bandé is a tree bark native to the Caribbean, found across St. Lucia and its neighboring islands. It has long been prized in the region for its aromatic properties and is an unusual addition that gives Chairman's Reserve Spiced a distinctive botanical character not found in most commercial spiced rums.
• How is Chairman's Reserve Spiced different from other spiced rums? Most commercial spiced rums use a neutral or lightly aged base. Chairman's Reserve Spiced starts from a genuinely aged blend of pot and column still rums, then infuses with natural spices — including up to a year of steeping for some botanicals. The result has the complexity of an aged rum underlying the spice, not just flavored neutral spirit.
• What cocktails is Chairman's Reserve Spiced best in? Best with cranberry juice or ginger beer on ice with a grating of fresh nutmeg — the official serve from St. Lucia Distillers. Also excellent in a Rum Sour, a Spiced Daiquiri, or simply over ice. Complex enough to drink neat.
• Is Chairman's Reserve made in Saint Lucia? Yes — St. Lucia Distillers is the only rum distillery operating in Saint Lucia, located in Roseau on the island's west coast.