AnnaBay Club Rum taps into rise of ‘destination distilling’
Caribbean rum has long travelled the world as an export, but today distilleries are becoming part of the island experience itself. In Curaçao, AnnaBay Club is positioning its rum at the heart of the tourism and hospitality scene.
Rum’s story has largely been anchored by established rum-producing islands such as Jamaica, Barbados and Martinique, whose reputations were built through long production traditions, strong export markets and clearly defined regulatory frameworks.
Yet historically, rum distilleries themselves were rarely the destination. Tourists visiting the Caribbean came for the beaches, the climate and the culture, with distillery visits often appearing as a brief stop on an island tour rather than the focal point of the experience.
Today that dynamic is beginning to change. Across the Caribbean, rum producers are increasingly recognising the role tourism can play in building spirits brands, just as whisky producers did in Scotland. Visitors may first encounter a rum in a beach bar or hotel restaurant, then later seek it out back home, transforming a holiday discovery into long-term brand advocacy.
This shift, referred to as destination distilling, is creating space for smaller producers and emerging rum regions to build credibility in ways that bypass traditional export hierarchies. Instead of fighting for immediate shelf space in global markets, brands can build reputations through the local hospitality ecosystems of the islands themselves.
It is within this opportunity that AnnaBay Club Rum, produced in Curaçao, is beginning to establish its place.
AnnaBay Club’s story begins in the harbour of Willemstad, Curaçao’s capital. “Our name is derived from the St. Anna Bay, the historic harbour channel that runs through Willemstad and connects the Caribbean Sea to the city,” explains Christian Branum, co-founder and MD of AnnaBay. “For centuries ships have sailed through that narrow bay carrying goods, cultures and stories between continents. Rum was always part of that trade and part of life around the harbour.”
Standing along the harbour today, that sense of movement and exchange remains palpable. The ships pass by the floating Queen Emma Bridge while pastel-coloured buildings line the waterfront, reflecting Willemstad’s long history as a trading hub. “When you spend time along the harbour you cannot help but feel connected to that history,” Branum muses. “Being there made us realise rum belongs to this place.”
From the outset, the ambition behind AnnaBay Club was straightforward: to create a rum that captures the character of Curaçao itself. “Our idea became quite simple: to distil the essence of Curaçao – its place, people and experiences – into a bottle.”
For many visitors, Curaçao’s appeal lies in its atmosphere as much as its landscape. The island’s brightly coloured architecture, multilingual culture and laid-back pace of life creates an environment where long lunches stretch into evenings and beach days transition seamlessly into sunset drinks.
“Visitors come to the island for the beaches, the colours of Willemstad, the food, the music and the laid-back atmosphere,” Branum states. “Our rum naturally becomes part of that experience.” The brand frames itself as something embedded in everyday island life. “You see people enjoying it in beach bars, restaurants and celebrations across the island. And when visitors take a bottle home, they are taking a piece of that with them.”
For the hospitality industry, this dynamic is increasingly important. Spirits discovered during travel often become powerful word-of-mouth brands once consumers return home. In that sense, AnnaBay Club functions not only as a rum brand but as a memento of a place and experience; it’s a product whose identity is inseparable from the island where it is produced.
As with most Caribbean rum producers, Curaçao’s climate plays a defining role in the maturation process. “Good ageing changes everything,” the AnnaBay MD notes. “The warmth speeds up maturation and allows the barrels to interact with the rum much more intensely.” High temperatures accelerate extraction from the wood, allowing flavour compounds to develop more quickly than in cooler climates. At the same time, Curaçao’s island microclimate, one where humidity, sea air and temperature variations interact, introduces a dynamic element into maturation. “These intense changes in a small island micro-climate help develop deeper flavour in a fairly short period of time,” Branum explains.
Cultural influences
But while climate influences the technical side of rum production, the cultural environment shapes the spirit’s identity in a different way. Curaçao is vibrant and colourful. Visitors can see it in the architecture of Willemstad, in the mix of cultures and languages, and in the energy of the people who live there. It is this atmosphere AnnaBay uses to ultimately inform how the rum is meant to be enjoyed; where people really know how to enjoy life. Days at the beach, sunsets, barbecues and dinners that turn into long evenings with friends.”
AnnaBay Club’s core range, known as the Curaçao Originals, consists of three expressions designed to reflect different drinking occasions while maintaining a consistent production philosophy.
Across the range, the focus is on natural rum production. All three expressions are made without added sugar, colouring or other additives, a detail increasingly valued by bartenders and rum enthusiasts seeking transparency. They have also recently taken multiple awards in The Rum & Cachaca Masters blind tasting, part of The Global Spirits Masters Competitions.
The White Rum is the entry point to the range. While technically unaged, it is rested before bottling to allow flavours to settle and soften. The result is a bright and aromatic spirit with notes of green cane, grapefruit zest and floral elements alongside subtle almond hints. Designed with cocktail culture in mind, this rum performs particularly well in classic Caribbean serves such as Daiquiris and Mojitos.
Its quality has already been recognised internationally. At The Rum & Cachaça Masters, the expression secured a Silver medal in the Premium White Rum category – a strong endorsement for a young producer entering the category.
The Amber expression introduces gentle maturation, spending a minimum of two years in oak barrels. This ageing develops soft vanilla, honey and caramel notes balanced by subtle oak influence.
The AnnaBay team describes it as an “all-rounder” – equally suited to cocktails or served over ice. Judges at The Global Spirits Masters Competitions were similarly enthusiastic. The rum took Gold in the Gold Rum – Aged up to 7 Years category, with tasting notes highlighting its “approachable, crowd-pleasing” profile and suitability for classic cocktails. Additional comments described the rum as “a beach holiday in a glass”.
At the top of the range sits the AnnaBay Aged 5 Years expression, produced from individually matured distillates aged for at least five years before blending. Following this, the rum is re-casked for an additional three to twelve months to allow the components to marry before bottling. The resulting spirit delivers greater depth and complexity, with smoky oak notes layered alongside dark chocolate, tobacco, vanilla and baking spices.
This expression also performed strongly at The Global Spirits Masters Competitions, taking Gold in the Dark Rum – Aged up to 7 Years category. Judges praised its flavour balance, noting vanilla sweetness, sugarcane juice, dates and raisins alongside light spice, with a lingering finish and “solid balance between sweet and spice” as well as “funky, zesty, moreish”.
For the AnnaBay team, the most fascinating stage of rum production begins after distillation.
Creating rums with character
“One of the most exciting parts of working with rum is opening barrels and tasting how the spirit evolves over time,” Branum enthuses. He goes on to explain: “When it first goes into the barrel it is only the beginning of the story. From that point the climate, the wood and time itself start shaping the character of the spirit.”
Sampling barrels can therefore reveal unexpected results. “Some develop deeper spice notes, others become softer and rounder,” he notes. “Sometimes the liquid evolves exactly as expected, and sometimes you discover something special that deserves more time in the barrel.” For smaller producers in particular, this process of discovery is central to refining the final blend.
While many spirits brands prioritise retail expansion first, AnnaBay Club’s growth has been closely tied to the hospitality sector. “As a young producer, our most important partners have been the bars, restaurants and hotels here in Curaçao that believed in the idea of a locally produced premium rum,” Branum reflects. “Seeing the rum served across the island has been one of the brand’s most rewarding milestones. Supporting Curaçao’s hospitality industry is also strategically important. Each visitor who encounters the rum during a trip effectively becomes a potential ambassador once they return home.”
AnnaBay has also begun exploring more sustainable service models in collaboration with hospitality partners. In 2025, the brand launched a partnership with EcoSpirits, introducing reusable EcoTotes for selected hotels and venues. The system allows venues to serve premium rum while significantly reducing packaging waste. For island economies, where waste management and shipping logistics can present unique challenges, circular packaging solutions offer a practical way to improve sustainability without compromising service standards.
For now, AnnaBay Club remains closely tied to Curaçao itself. “Our focus remains firmly rooted on Curaçao,” Branum says. “We will continue supporting the local bars, restaurants and hospitality partners who help make AnnaBay part of the island experience.”
Curaçao spirits can compete on global stage
Recognition at The Rum & Cachaça Masters has helped validate the quality of the rum and demonstrate that spirits produced on Curaçao can compete confidently on the global stage.
“We often joke that our export strategy is built on friends travelling with suitcases, but we are starting to take that more seriously and are taking our first steps toward international markets since interest from abroad has grown steadily,” Branum explained. “Wherever AnnaBay is enjoyed, we hope it carries a little of Curaçao with it.”
AnnaBay Club Rum is not just another Caribbean export, it is something built around the idea that sometimes the most powerful way to sell a spirit is to invite people to the place that it started.
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