The Cathedral of Rum in Cataño, Puerto Rico is the world's largest rum

distillery Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...

. The

Bacardi Bacardi Limited (; ) is one of the largest privately held, family-owned spirits companies in the world. Originally known for its Bacardi brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 an ...

Distillery is located on 137 acres and consists of forty-four buildings and structures, twenty-four of which contribute to its historical character. It can be accessed from and is located at the intersection of PR-165 and PR-888.

History

Founded in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

in 1862 and family-owned for eight generations,

Bacardi Limited Bacardi Limited (; ) is one of the largest privately held, family-owned Distilled beverage, spirits companies in the world. Originally known for its Bacardi brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founde ...

employs more than 7,000 people with sales in approximately 170 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited. Registered in Puerto Rico in 1909, it was not until January 1, 1937, when the first batch of Bacardi rum was produced in Cataño, Puerto Rico. In 1958, Bacardí purchased 138 acres of land in Cataño (a suburb of

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

) and then governor Luis Muñoz Marín called it the "Cathedral of Rum". The Bacardi Corporation in Cataño supplies the largest quantity of rum consumed in the world and is the private company that most contributes to the public treasury of Puerto Rico. The Bacardi Distillery was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

on August 6, 2010, based on two criteria: (criteria A) the distillery's enormous contribution to the economic development of Puerto Rico since its establishment and (criteria C) its designers included W. Donald Christie,

Henry Klumb Heinrich Klumb (1905 in Cologne, Germany – 1984 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) was a German architect who worked in Puerto Rico during the mid 20th Century. Education and early life Klumb was born in Cologne, Germany, in 1905. An honors graduate ...

, Héctor Varela, and Enrique Gutiérrez. The builders included José Benítez Gutiérrez, Ramón M. Benítez, Ignacio Martín, and SAG MAC. There is a family museum at the complex and in 2012, the Bacardi family celebrated 150 years in business and gathered at the complex in Cataño. A bust of its founder,

Facundo Bacardi Masso Don Facundo Bacardí Masso ( ca, Facund Bacardí i Massó, ; 14 October 1814 – 9 May 1886) was a Spanish businessman who, in 1862, founded the eponymous Bacardi rum distillery. Biography Bacardí was born in Sitges (province of Barcelona, Spa ...

was unveiled. Then Governor Luis Fortuño also declared a new holiday called Bacardi Day, to be celebrated on February 4, in honor of the company's important ties to Puerto Rico and its economy. The Bacardi complex is the second most visited tourist attraction in Puerto Rico. At the complex, tourists can go on a historical tour, a rum tasting tour and learn how to mix Bacardi rum drinks. After Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017, the distillery was soon able to provide clean drinking water to residents.

Buildings

* Casa BACARDI * Bacardi Family Museum * Bacardi Distillery * Bacardi Pavilion

Gallery

File:Casa Bacardi (349349243).jpg, Casa BACARDI Bacardi museum emblem.jpg, Emblem on the Bacardi Family Museum San Juan IMG 1932 bacardi destilleries.JPG, Bacardi Distillery Bacardi Pavillion - panoramio.jpg, Bacardi Pavilion Bacardi (18565818335).jpg, Bacardi in Cataño

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico Tourism in Puerto Rico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico 1947 establishments in Puerto Rico Distilleries on the National Register of Historic Places Cataño, Puerto Rico Bacardi Industrial buildings completed in 1947