Peter's Rum Pages - Plantation Diamond / Demerara Distillers

Only 32 of 40 labels are shown. Underplayed labels are variations with minor differences.

History

Demerara Distillers was established in 1670 in Demerara County, Guyana and is the sole distiller of the world famous Demerara rums.

Source: Churchill Cellars, May 1999]

The history of D.D.L. dates back to the early 17th century when Guyana (then British Guiana) had a large number of sugar estates each with its own small distillery converting molasses, the major by-product into rum. Each sugar estate produced its own distinctive rum and each rum was given a mark e.g. SWR, AN, ICBU depending upon the sugar estate where it was produced.

These rums were shipped to England and thus began worldwide trading under the Demerara rum name, which today only can be applied to rums distilled in Guyana.

In those early days most of the distilleries were owned by the English companies Booker Bros. McConnel & Company Limited, trading as Booker Rum Company, and Sandbach Parker Holdings, trading as Diamond Liquors Limited. These two companies were amalgamated in 1976 as Guyana Liquor Corp. and in 1983, this was changed to Demerara Distillers Limited.

By 1960, technological advances and market demands brought about the amalgamation of the many small distilleries into four distilleries, which were further consolidated into D.D.L. with one distillery operation at Plantation Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara River.

[Source: HistoryThe Washington Times Advertising Department, June 30, 2000]

[...] the Daimond Distillery has the world's oldest working wooden Coffey [ie. continuous] still, which is reckoned to have been producing rum for over 150 years.

[Source: Dave Broom, Jason Lowe: Rum, 2003, p.45]

Subsidiaries:

CSR/DDL St. Kitts Limited
The Cane Spirit Rothschild - that special drink of St. Kitts, produced from the fresh juice of the cane, along with the Belmont Estate Coconut Rum, are products of the bottling plant operated by Demerara Distillers in St. Kitts.

Demerara Distillers Europe BV
Demerara Distillers Europe BV manages the distribution and the bottling of the El Dorado rums for the European market, the company's largest market. Operating from Zandaam, Holland, DD Europe BV sells, and markets the El Dorado range of rums in excess of twenty countries across Europe.

Demerara Distillers (Trinidad & Tobago) Ltd.
DD (TT) Ltd, formerly Superior Distribution Limited, began operations in Trinidad and Tobago in 1995 as a small distribution company of Demerara Distillers. Today, the company though remaining small, has been able to penetrate the Trinidadian market; the domestic as well as the growing duty free market.

Demerara Distillers Latin America (DDLA)
Headquartered in Peru, DDLA bottles the El Dorado range of rums for the South and Central American markets. Today, the company distributes these rums in 11 of the countries in these continents, and continues its aggressive marketing and distribution drive to increase the number of countries in which El Dorado can be had.

Demerara Distillers USA Inc. (DDUS)
Operating from offices in Miami, Florida, DDUS appoints distributors of the El Dorado rums throughout the 50 states of the United States of America. Opening its doors just recently, the El Dorado rums have been successfully introduced in seven states. The company has as its mandate for its first couple of years of existence, to introduce the rums to the states that have the largest Diaspora of Guyanese. Having successfully achieved this mandate, DDUS now sets its sight on wider scale distribution

Demerara Shipping Company Limited (DSCL)
Demerara Shipping was born out of a need to ensure our customers of a prompt and reliable delivery service. Since the company's inception, DSCL has continuously improved and upgraded its services and has risen to the ever-changing demands and dynamics of international trade.

Distribution Services Limited
Distribution Services Limited opened its doors in 1992 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Demerara Distillers Limited. Ten years later, the distribution arm of the company; DSL is a force to be reckoned with in the market place. It is regarded as the leading distribution company in Guyana.

Tropical Orchards Products Company Limited (TOPCO)
Since 1983, TOPCO has been providing natural, flavourful fruit juices for Guyanese. In 1993, TOPCO joined the Demerara Distillers group of companies as a wholly owned subsidiary

Solutions 2000 Inc.
Solutions 2000 introduced its service in February of 1997, becoming the first commercially operated Internet Service Provider (ISP) to launch its service in Guyana.

[Source: Company's web site, 2004]

On the subject of divestment, I would like to share with you my experience with the recent divestment of a wholly-owned Govern-ment company of which I have been chairman for a number of years, I don't know how many of you saw the report that came out in the press some time in August. Excerpts of that release make interesting reading:

The Government of Jamaica is pleased to announce the restructuring of the State-Owned National Rums of Jamaica Ltd., (NRJ) the holding company of Clarendon Distillers Ltd., Long Pond Distillers Ltd. and Innswood Distillery Ltd. (collectively the NRJ Group).

Under agreements signed with Demerara Distillers Ltd. of Guyana, The West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd. (a subsidiary of Goddard Enterprises Ltd. of Barbados) and DIAGEO North America Inc. (a subsidiary of Diageo PLC the World's largest Spirit Company), the three investors will bring new equity investments totaling U.S. million to the NRJ Group.

With the injection of this new capital, Demerara Distillers Ltd., The West Indies Rum Distillery Ltd. and the State-Owned National Sugar Company Ltd. will each own 33.3 per cent of the shares in NRJ.

NRJ will hold 73 per cent of the shares in Clarendon Distillers Ltd. at Monymusk with 27 per cent held by Diageo North America Inc., through its subsidiary Trelawny Estates Ltd. Long Pond Distillers Ltd. and Inswood Distillery Ltd. will continue to be wholly-owned subsidiaries of NRJ.

This new investment capital along with funding from the European Union's Integrated Development Programme for the Caribbean rum sector will be utilised to finance a major modernisation and expansion programme of the NRJ Group. NRJ, which is a leading supplier of Jamaican bulk rum, is also looking to develop a brand portfolio in order to facilitate its entry into the value-added market.

The board of directors of NRJ will be restructured to include representatives of the new investors and we wish to record our thanks to the long standing outgoing chairman Mr. Howard Hamilton who has kindly consented to remain on the board. Mr. Evon Brown will also continue as group CEO and a director of NRJ and its subsidiaries.

Howard L. Hamilton, C.D., J.P., is a former chairman of Caymanas Track Limited. He is the current president of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders' Association.

[Source: Jamaica Gleaner News, 2006]

Uitvlught

Originally a Dutch estate located on the Atlantic coast, west of the Demerara river. This rum was distilled using the famous Port Morant still, the last remaining Demerara Vat Still - that produces heavier rum that suited the additional Hermitage cask evolution.

[Source: Jamaica Gleaner News, 2006]

Guyana

Plantation Diamond / Demerara Distillers

Full bottles

History

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