During our many past visits to the beautiful island of St. Croix, we've always wanted to visit the Cruzan Rum Distillery, but haven't been able to leave the sunny beaches long enough to take the tour!  This year we made a visit to the distillery top priority, and the tour, though only officially about 20 minutes, definitely did not disappoint.

The process starts here.

When you first view the grounds, it isn't difficult to guess that this place is steeped in St. Croix history.  Actually founded in 1760, remnants of the original sugar plantation still exist there, and some of the old structures are still in use today. 

We were shown through the areas where the various stages of producing the world famous rum takes place, while our very knowledgeable guide carefully explained each step in the process.  The aroma itself in these areas was intoxicating!

Then we were shown the building where the rum is stored in barrels to age for several years.  No camera flashes here, since, with all that alcohol present, it's anyone's guess what might happen!

Next, it was on to the bottling line, which was up and running. 

Bottled and ready for boxing.

 It was our lucky day, since the line is not operational all the time.  It's amazing to watch the process...everyone and everything must definitely be in sync.

And last, but certainly not least, our guide invited us back to the gift shop at the pavilion, and became our bartender, providing free tastes of the wonderful rums this distillery produces in any concoction we desired.  The perfect way to end our visit. 

I'm sure we'll be back.  If you decide to take the tour, which I highly recommend, just be warned that it's terribly hard to leave the beaches, and that the distillery is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.