It is without question, column distillation transformed how rums throughout the Caribbean were produced in the 20th century. Some of the key advantages were centered around efficiency. The Aeneas Coffey twin column design became a popular choice for rum producers in the British West Indies. As demand for lighter and cheaper rum grew, some distilleries around the Caribbean added more plates and eventually more columns to make even lighter spirits with fewer congeners. Many rums today are distilled on multi-column stills with numerous plates making rums that have been stripped of much of their natural character. It is these rums that have contributed to some of the negative perceptions of column distilled rum.

The column still at St. Lucia Distillers is a traditional twin column Coffey still commissioned in 1985. Admiral Rodney rums have the fingerprint of Saint Lucian rum, which is a rum character unparalleled to any other fine-aged rum. The rich flavor profile is undoubtedly from the brilliance of extracting pure rum on lower plates in the rectifier column with lower alcohol by volume. These are heavier bodied rums than most column distilled rums and benefit greatly from extended periods of aging in oak casks, allowing the rum to fully evolve into Saint Lucia’s most prized liquid treasure.