Barber Lee White Rum
Barber Lee White Rum is an 80 proof (40% ABV), 750mL unaged white rum from Barber Lee Spirits in Petaluma, California — a grain-to-glass craft distillery co-owned by Aaron Lee and master distiller Michael Barber with his wife Lorraine Barber of Barber Cellars winery. The base is piloncillo sugar — unprocessed boiled cane sugar poured into molds, chosen after the distillery tested black strap, fancy, demerara, muscovado, and brick sugars. It is fermented, double distilled in the distillery's copper pot still ("The Two Headed Monster"), lowered to 80 proof, and bottled immediately — an unaged, full-flavored white rum with caramel aroma and toasty, dark-sugar flavors, built for cocktails. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Base: piloncillo (panela) sugar — not molasses
- Process: fermented, double pot-distilled, bottled unaged at 40%
- Distillery: Barber Lee Spirits, 120 Washington St, Petaluma, CA — formed 2017, opened 2019
- Style: full-flavored white rum for tiki, mojitos, and Cuba Libres
Petaluma's Piloncillo Rum
Michael Barber came to distilling through winemaking, and the rum carries that sensibility: start with the best raw material and stay out of its way. Piloncillo — the least processed sugar the distillery could source — gives the white rum its character: caramel on the nose and toasty, dark-sugar flavors that survive the pot still and the 80-proof cut. The distillery's tasting copy calls it a full-flavored white rum with hints of caramel aroma and toasty dark sugar — a rum that holds its own in tiki drinks, mojitos, and Cuba Libres rather than disappearing into them. Sustainability is part of the house style: non-GMO and organic inputs, scrap-leather bottle labels, spent grains to local farmers as feed. Browse more white rum and explore the Barber Lee collection at Del Mesa Liquor.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Hints of caramel aroma over clean pot-distilled spirit (distillery).
Palate: Toasty, dark-sugar flavors — full-flavored for a white rum.
Finish: Clean and warming, built to carry cocktails.
How to Enjoy
Mix it: daiquiris, mojitos, Cuba Libres, and tiki drinks are its home turf. It also sips clean over ice for the full piloncillo character.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Barber Lee White Rum aged?
No — it is bottled immediately after distillation at 40% ABV.
What is it made from?
Piloncillo sugar (panela) — unprocessed boiled cane sugar — not molasses.
Who is Barber Lee?
A grain-to-glass craft distillery in Petaluma, Sonoma County, CA, co-owned by Aaron Lee and winemaker-distiller Michael Barber with Lorraine Barber.
Is it good for cocktails?
That is its purpose — full-flavored enough to stand up in tiki drinks and highballs.
A white rum with actual sugar-cane character — order Barber Lee White Rum online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.