St Lucia Distillers — Chairman's Reserve, the Soul of Saint Lucian Rum
St Lucia Distillers is one of the Caribbean's most celebrated and distinctive rum producers — the home of Chairman's Reserve, a brand that has redefined what Saint Lucian rum can be and inspired a generation of rum lovers to look beyond the familiar names of Jamaica and Barbados to the extraordinary potential of this small, volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean. The story of Chairman's Reserve is inseparable from the story of its creator — the late Laurie Barnard, the Chairman of St Lucia Distillers, whose vision, passion, and uncompromising commitment to quality produced one of the most original and celebrated rum brands in the world.
The Chairman: Laurie Barnard
Laurie Barnard was born in Saint Lucia in 1945 into a family with deep roots in the island's agricultural heritage. At the age of 18, he began working alongside his father Denis on the family estate, managing the sugarcane and banana business that was the foundation of the family's livelihood. In 1969, at just 24 years of age, he became General Manager of what had grown into the largest banana farm in the Windward Islands — a vast agricultural operation employing over 500 people. At the same time, he assumed responsibility for the distillery and began what would become a lifelong love affair with rum and the endless possibilities it provided.
Laurie Barnard's approach to rum was unlike anything the industry had seen. While other distilleries in the Caribbean were investing in column stills to increase production efficiency and reduce costs, Laurie was moving in the opposite direction — investing in eclectic barrel types, small copper pot stills, a proprietary yeast strain, and the finest sugarcane. He believed, with absolute conviction, that the best rum was not achieved from a single barrel or a single still type, but by blending different components together — different ages, different finishes, different styles, and different base materials — to create a spirit of greater complexity, balance, and character than any single component could achieve alone.
In 1999, Laurie Barnard created Chairman's Reserve — a special project to define and reinvent the Saint Lucian rum category. His vision was unlike anything rum had seen before or has seen since: a rum that celebrated the extraordinary diversity of Saint Lucia's distilling heritage, combining the richness and complexity of copper pot still rum with the lightness and elegance of Coffey column still rum, aged separately and then blended and rested in oak vats to achieve a harmony and integration that no single-still rum could match. The result was a rum of extraordinary character and originality that immediately established Chairman's Reserve as one of the Caribbean's most celebrated and collected expressions.
Saint Lucia & The Distillery
Saint Lucia is a small, volcanic island in the Eastern Caribbean — one of the Windward Islands, situated between Martinique to the north and Saint Vincent to the south. The island's dramatic landscape — dominated by the twin volcanic peaks of the Pitons, lush rainforests, and fertile valleys — creates a unique and extraordinary environment for growing sugarcane and producing rum of genuine character and distinction. The island's volcanic soils, tropical climate, and the pure water of its mountain streams contribute directly to the character of the sugarcane grown here, and by extension to the character of the rum distilled from it.
St Lucia Distillers operates both Coffey column stills and copper pot stills — a combination that gives the distillery an extraordinary range of spirit styles to work with. The Coffey still produces a lighter, more elegant spirit with delicate fruit and floral character; the copper pot still produces a heavier, richer, and more complex spirit with greater congener character and depth. By ageing the two spirit types separately in ex-bourbon barrels and then blending them together, Laurie Barnard was able to achieve a balance of complexity and approachability that neither still type could produce alone.
Our Range
Chairman's Reserve Original Rum 700mL — 40% ABV — The original expression, first blended in 1999 under Laurie Barnard's personal oversight. A marriage of aged rums distilled from Coffey column stills and copper pot stills, aged separately by batch and still type in ex-bourbon barrels, then blended and rested in oak vats for an additional six months — a final period of integration that allows the component rums to marry and harmonise into a spirit of exceptional balance and character. Average age of the blend is five years. Rich dark amber with brilliant clarity. A balance of pot still complexity and subtle sweetness on the nose — banana, caramelised fruits, and vanilla, with depth of chocolate, golden raisin, and clove. The same notes carry through to the palate with exceptional balance, culminating in a smooth, creamy finish. A rum of genuine distinction and the definitive expression of the Saint Lucian style.
Chairman's Reserve Spiced Rum 700mL — 40% ABV — The Chairman's Reserve Original taken to a richer, more exotic expression through the addition of local Caribbean fruits and spices during the final six months of finishing. The spicing begins with Bois Bandé — a bark from a tree native to Saint Lucia and the wider Caribbean, culturally celebrated for its warming, aromatic character — to which are added cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, allspice, lemon peel, and orange peel. These local spices and fruits are steeped with the blended rum during the final six months of the oak vat resting period, allowing their character to integrate fully and naturally into the spirit. Deep mahogany with a supple red hue. A complex blend of bitter orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, and sweet raisin on the nose, with the warmth of Bois Bandé and the full range of Caribbean spices adding extraordinary depth and complexity. Sweet and rich on the palate with crisp citrus balance and a rich, exotic finish. A spiced rum of genuine authenticity — made with real local Caribbean ingredients rather than artificial flavourings.
How to Enjoy Chairman's Reserve
The Original is outstanding neat at room temperature or over a single large ice cube — the purest way to appreciate the extraordinary balance of pot still and column still character that Laurie Barnard spent his life perfecting. For a classic Chairman's Daiquiri, combine 45mL Chairman's Reserve Original with 30mL fresh lime juice and 15mL sugar syrup, shake over ice, and strain into a chilled coupe. The Spiced Rum is outstanding over ice with a squeeze of fresh lime and a slice of orange, or in a Spiced Rum Mule (Chairman's Reserve Spiced, ginger beer, fresh lime, over ice in a tall glass). Both expressions are outstanding as sophisticated sipping rums — a tribute to the extraordinary vision and legacy of the late Chairman, Laurie Barnard.
Explore our full St Lucia Distillers range below and discover why Chairman's Reserve — born of one man's vision to reinvent Saint Lucian rum and crafted from the marriage of pot still and column still rums aged in ex-bourbon barrels and rested in oak vats — is one of the Caribbean's most celebrated and distinctive rum brands.
