Chairman’s Reserve 1931 Saint Lucia Rum
Chairman's Reserve 1931 is a 92-proof (46% ABV), 750mL Saint Lucia rum from St. Lucia Distillers in the Roseau Valley — a tribute to Denis Barnard, the blending pioneer who founded the original Dennery distillery in 1931. A seamless blend of Coffey (twin-column) and three copper pot still distillates, aged 6 to 11 years in ex-bourbon and port casks, then married — with a notable share of estate-grown sugarcane-juice "agricultural" rum alongside the molasses base. Each bottle is individually numbered. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 46% (92 proof)
- Size: 750mL (US market); individually numbered bottles
- Age: no age statement; component rums aged 6–11 years
- Origin: Roseau Valley, Saint Lucia; St. Lucia Distillers (Saint Lucia Rum GI)
- Stills: one Coffey column + three copper pot stills; ex-bourbon and port casks
- Base: molasses rum plus estate-grown cane-juice agricultural rum
A Century of Saint Lucian Rum in One Bottle
The 1931 is Chairman's Reserve's heritage bottling — named for the year Denis Barnard built his Dennery distillery and began experimenting with distillates from different molasses fermentations, a philosophy his grandson Laurie Barnard carried into the brand's 1999 founding. Four stills, two cask types, molasses and cane juice, 6 to 11 years: it is the most complete expression of what Saint Lucia's last distillery can do. Rum drinkers who know the Original and the Forgotten Casks will find this the deepest of the three.
Tasting Notes
Vibrant medium gold with a bronze hue. Honeyed raisins, toasted oak, leather, spice, and tobacco on the nose; a palate of rich sultana fruit, crème caramel, and buttery oak; a dry, tannic oak finish.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass — this is a sipping rum, not a mixing rum. A drop of water opens the port-cask fruit. Compare it with the Forgotten Casks and the Spiced Original in a Chairman's rum flight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "1931" refer to?
The founding year of the original Dennery distillery by Denis Barnard, the blending pioneer whose philosophy shaped today's St. Lucia Distillers.
Is it a blend of different stills?
Yes — Coffey column and three copper pot still rums, aged separately 6–11 years in ex-bourbon and port casks, then married.
What is agricultural rum?
Rum distilled from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses — grassier and more vegetal. The 1931 includes estate-grown cane-juice rum from fields beside the distillery.
Explore more Chairman's Reserve rums and the full rum collection. A tribute nearly a century in the making — order Chairman's Reserve 1931 online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.