Demerara Distillers

Beginnings and growth The region was originally colonized by the Dutch, who established sugar plantations in the regions of Demerara and Essequibo in the Guianas. The colonies of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo were merged to form British Guiana in 1831, and in 1834, the British Empire abolished slavery, with a transitional "apprenticeship" period lasting until 1838. to forty-four in 1908 to eight in 1959. Independence, government mismanagement, and rebound In 1966, British Guiana declared independence and changed the country's name to Guyana. By this point, only five distilleries were left in the country. In 1970, the British Navy discontinued the practice of the daily rum ration, and around this time, dark rum was falling out of favor, replaced by a boom in demand for cheap, light, white rum, such as those of Bacardi or Havana Club. During a period of increasing socialism in the region, under the leadership of Prime Minister Forbes Burnham, Guyana nationalized major industries, including the production of sugar and rum. However, the economy declined in the decade following this decision, and the economy was described by Guyana's Ministry of Finance as a "one-party administrative dictatorship" as "the Government pursued policies of mismanagement" using "political interference, compounded by poor management". Sugar production, rum production, and wages all fell catastrophically. During this time, in 1975, Yesu Persaud became the executive chairman at Diamond Liquors Limited. He led the initiative to combine the three last remaining distilleries, Diamond, Uitvlugt, and Enmore, into a single state-run company, Guyana Liquor Company, and oversaw the closing of all other distilleries in the country. Soon after, the government began a process of divesting and privatizing these industries, and the new government under Prime Minister Desmond Hoyt asked the Booker group to come back to Guyana in 1990. With the closure of Uitvlugt distillery , Diamond became the last distillery to continue operating in the country. 1992, DDL released their house-branded rum, El Dorado, and later rebranded their entry level rums to Diamond Reserve, keeping El Dorado for their more premium offerings. On September 27, 2024, a fire destroyed DDL's power station, causing the company to have to rely on temporary power solutions. ==Organization==

Historic distilleries absorbed into DDL La Bonne Intention was a sugar plantation and distillery established sometime between 1759 and 1873, and the distillery was closed in 1959. Enmore merged with GDL (Uitvlugt) and DLL (Diamond) to form the company DDL under state control, before the distillery was closed in 1993. DLL owns Demerara Fire and General Insurance Company Inc., Solutions 2000, Demerara Contractors Limited, Topco, and other subsidiary companies include Distribution Services Limited and European Breitenstein Holdings BV. They were one of the first five companies to become certified by ISO 9001 international Standard System, enabling export quality goods. Under government management, DDL became the world's second largest producer of rum. DDL was one of the first state-owned manufacturers to be semi-privatized under the Economic Recovery Program in 1988. 12 million new shares were issued, reducing government ownership to roughly 47%, although another attempt to issue shares in 1990 was blocked by the government. In 2006, DDL obtained one-third of the shares of National Rums of Jamaica, which is a subsidiary of Jamaica's National Sugar Company Limited. Yesu Persaud was chairman of DDL until 2013. Through his contributions to Guyanese industry, 1983 he was awarded the Cacique Crown of Honour. Komal Samaroo became the new CEO in 2014. In 2021, Samaroo addressed the threat that the Venezuelan border issue has on "Guyana's supply chain for agriculture and other food products to the region, and even further afield". , the production manager at Diamond Distillery is Darryl Manichand, the master blender is Sharon Sue-Hang, and the master distiller is Shaun Caleb. == Rum production ==

DDL powers their distillery using a combination of burning heavy fuel oil, as well as biogas produced by their own waste combined with locally sourced cow manure, and their water is sourced from groundwater from three 500-foot deep wells. but it was restarted a year later after fixes were made. DDL consumes over 200 tons of molasses daily to produce rum, making it one of the largest distilleries in the Caribbean by output. Distillation Wooden vat stills Vat stills are pot stills made out of wood, and are unique to historic British Guiana. Two stills of this type, Port Mourant and Versailles, continue to operate at DDL to this day. though it contains newer parts, and consists of two vats with a huge swan neck connecting them, as well as a rectifier canister carrying cold water and a condenser coil. El Dorado Products • El Dorado 3 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 3 years. • El Dorado 5 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 5 years. The blend contains EHP. • El Dorado 8 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 8 years. The blend contains PM and EHP. • El Dorado 12 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 12 years. The blend contains PM and EHP. • El Dorado 15 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 15 years. The blend contains PM, VSG, and EHP. • El Dorado 21 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 21 years. The blend contains VSG and EHP. • El Dorado 25 Years - A blend of rums aged for a minimum of 25 years. The blend contains PM and EHP. ==Other industries==

Besides rum, DDL also owns: • Distribution Services Limited, a distributor for Johnson & Johnson and PepsiCo, • Demerara Shipping Company Limited, an agent for shipping brands such as Vertraco Shipping BV. • Demerara Technical Services Limited, a company providing technical services to Guyana. • Other spirits, such as Ivanoff vodka and Lord Roberts gin. • Non-alcoholic beverages, such as Pepsi products, Dr Pepper/Seven Up products, Slice drinks, SOCA drinks, TOPCO juices, Savannah milk, and Diamond water. ==Promotion==

Despite international familiarity, El Dorado and other rums have fallen behind other liquors, such as vodka, in successful marketing or an effective classification system. DDL sponsors countless local events, such as chess tournaments, Guyana Fashion Week, Soca Monarch competitions, and Mashramani events. They were an official partner of the inaugural tournament of the 2013 Caribbean Premier League, sponsoring the tournament's Catch of the Match award, which went to one player in each of the 24 matches who makes a catch. A 'rum route' was launched by the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) in collaboration with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The tour includes visits to Uitvlugt Estate and Blairmont Estate and commercial ventures like rum shops, distilleries, and production, as well as the historical connection to slavery and indentured servants. ==In popular culture==

Demerara rum was a core part of the blend that the Royal Navy used for the sailors' daily rum ration, until it was discontinued in 1970. == References ==