Macoucherie Rum Distillery

Macoucherie has made rum on the west coast since the nineteenth century, and it does it in a way almost nothing else in the Caribbean still does: cane grown on its own land, crushed by a mill turned by a water wheel fed from the river, fermented and distilled on site. The result is a strong white rum sold locally and rarely seen abroad. The works are functional rather than presented, and visits depend on who is there and whether crushing is underway.

What you actually see

• The water wheel - the river-fed wheel that still drives the cane mill.
• The estate cane - the crop grown on the distillery's own land.
• The still - the working distillation set up alongside the mill.
• The white rum - the strong local spirit produced and sold here.

When to go

January to June is the cane crushing season when the works run. Outside it there is much less to see. Visits should be arranged rather than assumed.

Honest expectations

This is a working distillery, not a visitor centre, and there is no tour as such. Access depends on staff being available and willing. The site is industrial and safety provision is informal.

Nearby

Mero Beach is north, and Layou River is beyond it.