Saint Lucia rum is a blender's art: one island distillery running pot stills and a Coffey column still side by side, then marrying molasses rums — and a little fresh cane-juice rum — in bourbon and port casks. At Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California, the rum collection carries the three defining Chairman's Reserve bottlings from Saint Lucia Distillers, from the Legacy blend at $52.99 to the individually numbered 1931 at $119.99 — all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
One Distillery, Four Stills, a Century of Blending
Saint Lucia Distillers, in the Roseau Valley, is one of the Caribbean's great blending houses. Its rums come off two John Dore copper pot stills, a Vendome pot still and a Coffey twin-column still, from both molasses and estate-grown sugarcane juice, and age in ex-bourbon American oak — with port casks entering the picture at the top of the range. The Chairman's Reserve line was created by rum maker Laurie Barnard, and each of these three bottles honours the family behind it: Legacy for Laurie himself, the Forgotten Casks for a famous accident, and 1931 for his father Denis Barnard, who founded the original Dennery distillery that year. For the wider map, see our estate rum guide and the cane-juice detour in our rhum agricole guide.
The Bottles in Stock
- Chairman's Reserve Legacy Saint Lucia Rum — $52.99. 750mL, 43% ABV (86 proof). The art-of-blending showcase, created as a tribute to Laurie Barnard: molasses distillate from the two John Dore pot stills and the Coffey column still, plus about 8% fresh sugarcane-juice rum from the Vendome pot still, aged in ex-bourbon American white oak with no added sugar.
- Chairman's Reserve The Forgotten Casks Saint Lucia Rum — $55.99. 750mL, 40% ABV (80 proof). Born of the 2007 fire at the distillery's cask storage, when casks were stashed in unusual corners, misplaced and rediscovered years later as over-aged rum; today's release ages the Chairman's Reserve blend an additional three years in ex-bourbon casks, at 7–8 years total per the US importer.
- Chairman's Reserve 1931 Saint Lucia Rum — $119.99. 750mL, 46% ABV (92 proof). The flagship tribute to Denis Barnard and his 1931 Dennery distillery: Coffey column and three copper pot still distillates aged 6 to 11 years in ex-bourbon and port casks, married with a notable share of estate cane-juice agricultural rum, in individually numbered bottles.
How to Drink Them
Legacy ($52.99) is the house tour in one glass — pot-still depth, column-still silk and that cane-juice lift at 86 proof; pour it neat or in a rum Old Fashioned. The Forgotten Casks ($55.99) drinks older and drier, the extra years showing as tobacco, dark chocolate and baking spice — a sipper, and a story worth retelling. 1931 ($119.99) is the collector's pour: the highest proof of the three, port-cask fruit over the pot-still funk, in a numbered bottle. If your Saint Lucia journey started with the Chairman's Reserve Spiced Original ($32.99) from our spiced rum guide, these three are the unspiced, oak-led next step. Browse the full spirits collection, read more on the Del Mesa blog index, and check the shipping and returns page before ordering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Saint Lucia rum known for?
Saint Lucia rum, made by Saint Lucia Distillers in the Roseau Valley, is known for blending: copper pot still and Coffey column still rums, from molasses and fresh sugarcane juice, married after aging in ex-bourbon and port casks. The style balances pot-still richness with column-still elegance.
What is the difference between Chairman's Reserve Legacy, Forgotten Casks and 1931?
Legacy ($52.99, 86 proof) blends pot, column and about 8% cane-juice rum as a tribute to rum maker Laurie Barnard. The Forgotten Casks ($55.99, 80 proof) ages the house blend an extra three years, at 7–8 years total. 1931 ($119.99, 92 proof) is the flagship: components aged 6 to 11 years in bourbon and port casks, in individually numbered bottles.
Is Chairman's Reserve rum sweetened?
Chairman's Reserve Legacy is bottled with no added sugar, per the distillery. The range is an oak-led, dry style of aged rum — sweetness comes from the casks and the cane, not from dosing.
Where can I buy Chairman's Reserve rum online?
Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, California stocks Chairman's Reserve Legacy ($52.99), The Forgotten Casks ($55.99) and 1931 ($119.99), all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor with nationwide shipping where permitted.