Ron Del Barrilito Distillery

[CroozeNoob]

When we stop in San Juan on our cruise, we will be there from 7 to 4. Has anyone done the tour if this Rum distillery? Is it worth our time if we go?

 

Thank you for the help

[Blaise]

Can't answer, but I'm looking forward to trying their rum next week. Apparently it is pretty good. Not sure if I'll be able to sample anything beyond the 3 Star in Old San Juan.

[CroozeNoob]

1 hour ago, Blaise said:

Can't answer, but I'm looking forward to trying their rum next week. Apparently it is pretty good. Not sure if I'll be able to sample anything beyond the 3 Star in Old San Juan.

Please remember to come back and let me know how it is. Do you plan to do a distillery tour?

[Blaise]

1 hour ago, CroozeNoob said:

Please remember to come back and let me know how it is. Do you plan to do a distillery tour?

 

Not in San Juan. Just a couple nights in Old San Juan before the cruise. On Barbados I'll be doing this, though, which is at a distillery that makes rums I know I like:

In Old San Juan I'll be hitting up various restaurants and bars, some of which will have a good rum selection.  La Taberna Lúpulo is a good bar with good bar food. Scryer Rum Barrelhouse & Rooftop looks like a cool place to hang out with decent rum. Hoping to visit this one evening, as it's close to our hotel. There's an interesting kiosk called "It's Rum Time" or "Rums of Puerto Rico" on the SW side of OSJ, just south of the wall, which has an interested restaurant beside it in the trees. I'd like to check that out. Lots of fabulous dining options on OSJ. I'd prefer to hang in the city, maybe see a fort or 2, have a meal and snacks, than spend a lot of time at a rum tour. I'm personally not a fan of the SJ rums so far, but I haven't yet tried Barrilito or the boutique Scryers, though. 

[crewsweeper]

Just be advised that the Distillery is about 10 miles from the cruise piers.  Shouldn't take that long to get to but you'll most likely need the taxi to wait for you. I think their website offers reservations for tours and also round trip tickets, not sure what's covered.  But enjoy.  I've had their 4 Star in a snifter, would love to try the 5 Star.  Hopefully you can get a good price on any bottles you can buy at the distillery.

[Blaise]

I got a chance to try the 3 star Ron Del Barrilito. Not overly impressed. I seemed more of a mixer than a sipper to me. However, the 4 star is extremely expensive. They don't seem to have an affordable offering for a sipper like Plantation, Mt Gay, El Dorado, Brugal, etc.  I also tried the Scryer. It had more of a scotch or whiskey taste to it due to the final aging barrels. Not my thing, but they make some awesome cocktails over there. Great place to have a cigar on the roof, too. They won my wife over with their twist on the Pina Colada.

[bam1958]

We were there in March 2022. It was a short and sweet tour. Great drinks at the end. Enjoy!

 

[Clubber]

We had a group of us do the tasting tour last Thursday.   It's just a very small quaint rum maker.  the oldest in Puerto Rico.   It's $80 per person.   You get the history of it, then see the family house, the old windmill, and the aging warehouse and bottling room.  It is now owned by one of the Bacardi family and a few other investors.   For the sampling, you'll taste the 2 star which is their mixing rum, like regular Bacardi.  You'll then taste the 3 star which is comparable to Bacardi 8, and then for a limited time you'll also taste the 4 star with is up to about 20 years of aging, and then the 5 star which is up to 35 years of aging.  In the giftshop we also tasted the Coquito.   You get one fancy drink at the end at the bar.  I had the Rum Old Fashioned which was delicious.   We enjoyed the tour and tasting.  We picked some Coquito up at the duty free in the airport for home.   If you do it, I would arrange for a taxi to take you there and then stay and wait for you.   You can roll the dice with uber, but you are quite a ways from the tourism zone. 

 

I've done the Bacardi tour, which is more like a museum of the history of Bacardi.  You don't see making of the real rum making at all.  It was still interesting. 

[whitesandsok]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:56 AM, crewsweeper said:

Just be advised that the Distillery is about 10 miles from the cruise piers.  Shouldn't take that long to get to but you'll most likely need the taxi to wait for you. I think their website offers reservations for tours and also round trip tickets, not sure what's covered.  But enjoy.  I've had their 4 Star in a snifter, would love to try the 5 Star.  Hopefully you can get a good price on any bottles you can buy at the distillery.

Is the Barrelhouse & Rooftop that far from the cruise piers or just the Distillery?  Their website says "in the heart of Old San Juan."  It sounds like my kind of place, but would like to be able to walk there.

[Blaise]

44 minutes ago, whitesandsok said:

Is the Barrelhouse & Rooftop that far from the cruise piers or just the Distillery?  Their website says "in the heart of Old San Juan."  It sounds like my kind of place, but would like to be able to walk there.

 

The Scryer Rum Barrelhouse & Rooftop is very near the cruise doc. It's a few roads back and a bit to the west.

[whitesandsok]

On 3/29/2024 at 5:51 PM, Blaise said:

 

The Scryer Rum Barrelhouse & Rooftop is very near the cruise doc. It's a few roads back and a bit to the west.

Thank you!