The Spanish settlers of the West Indies went there in search of gold, and what they found proved to be far more valuable, sugar cane and rum. The rich, pleasant distillate derived from Molasses, a byproduct of the sugar refining process, is deeply rooted in West Indies culture. Although the records of these early stills have partly been lost, it is known that rum has been distilled in the Caribbean since the sixteenth century. The origins of the name are uncertain, but a popular myth is that it came from the slang term “rumbullion,” which describes the riotous conduct often caused by the sprit. The Legends of the swash-buckling pirates and those of the British Royal Navy, live on with every sip of rum you take.