How Haromex and the Antigua Distillery found each other – a story of friendship, craftsmanship, and the spirit of Caribbean rum.

Haromex & Antigua Distillery – Friendship and Rum Culture

Sometimes great stories begin quietly. Not in meeting rooms, not in conference halls, but wherever life unfolds its own kind of magic. In 2006, John van Soest, founder and senior managing director of Haromex, was traveling through the Caribbean – a holiday that wasn't really meant to be one. Amid sun, sea, and the light sweetness of sugar cane, he happened upon a small distillery on the island of Antigua. It lay a little off the beaten path, unassuming perhaps, but within a few minutes it was clear: Something special was happening here. That encounter became the beginning of a story that continues to this day – a bond between Haromex and Antigua Distillery Ltd., carried by trust, mutual respect and a shared passion for genuine rum.

By that point, the Antigua Distillery was no longer an insider tip among connoisseurs, but it was a discovery for John van Soest. What impressed him there wasn't scale or technology, but atmosphere. The people who worked there did so with dedication, with patience, with a smile that can't be taught. "We still do things the hard way – the right way," one of the master distillers said, and John van Soest immediately understood what was meant. It was the same attitude that had made Haromex what it is: placing the value of craftsmanship above all else, favoring authenticity over quick wins, preferring to stay small and honest rather than grow big and interchangeable. From this first encounter, a close collaboration grew over the years – slowly, naturally, carried by mutual sympathy and shared ambition.

To understand the Antigua Distillery is to understand why this bond runs so deep. Its story begins long before 2006, rooted deep in Antigua's past. As early as the 18th century, plantation owners and traders were distilling their own rum – rough, strong, genuine. In 1932, some of them decided to found a distillery of their own together. Their goal was simple, yet meaningful: they wanted to produce a rum that represented their island. A year later, in 1933, the first production site was built on Rat Island – equipped with a French copper Savalle still, which remains the heart of the distillery to this day. Over the following decades, the Antigua Distillery became a fixture of the Caribbean rum world: 1943 brought the Montpellier sugar plantation, in the 1950s the distillery's first own rum, Cavalier Muscovado, was bottled. It was followed by Cavalier Antigua in the 1960s, a special five-year-old for the independence year of 1981, and finally, in the 1990s came the birth of English Harbour Rum – the brand now synonymous with Caribbean elegance.

When Haromex began working with the Antigua Distillery in the years after 2006, it was far more than a business decision. It was the meeting of two family businesses that live by similar values: honesty, consistency and a genuine love of the product. The distillery on Antigua remains family-run to this day, shaped by people who love their work and see it as a responsibility. At Haromex, too, family plays a central role – alongside John van Soest, his two sons now lead the company. This family structure, this closeness between generations, is what connects both houses. In a sense, two families found each other whose understanding of quality and humanity complement one another in a wholly natural way.

To this day, the Antigua Distillery produces its rum using the same methods as decades ago. The molasses comes from Caribbean sugar cane and is fermented for around 36 hours, before being distilled on a 100% copper Savalle still – one of the last of its kind. Copper is the secret ingredient: it lends purity, shape and depth. The rum then rests in oak barrels, breathing, maturing, losing a share of its volume to the tropical air year after year – the so-called Angel's Share. "The angels in Antigua are quite thirsty,", they say there with a wink. Perhaps that's the price of perfection.

Over the years, the bond between Haromex and the Antigua Distillery grew into a partnership fueled by mutual enthusiasm. Both companies work closely together, share ideas, and develop new bottlings. A special highlight of this collaboration was the creation of the High Congener Series – a limited edition created for Haromex's 30th anniversary . It stands as a symbol of what drives them both: courage, craftsmanship, quality. "Congeners" are the aromatic compounds formed during fermentation and distillation – those tiny compounds that define a rum's character. For the High Congener Cuvée, the Antigua Distillery selected barrels with a particularly high share of these aromatic components to create a rum that combines depth and intensity . It matured in the tropical climate for almost ten years before being bottled exclusively for Haromex. Dark chocolate, dried fruit, a hint of tobacco – this rum isn't a blend, it's an experience. "The High Congener Cuvée perfectly embodies our shared commitment to quality and innovation,", said the distillery's sales manager. It's a sentence that perhaps describes this partnership better than any contract could.

Beyond the products, it's the encounters that stay with you. When representatives of the Antigua Distillery visited Haromex in Brüggen , it was a day that echoed for a long time afterward. Outside, rain was falling; inside, it was the Caribbean. It was warm, lively, heartfelt – a masterclass that felt more like a reunion among friends than a presentation. There was laughter, tasting, storytelling. Stories of Antigua, of the sun, of the sea, of old barrels and new ideas. It was about rum, yes – but really it was about people, about passion, about what remains.

Today, almost two decades after that chance discovery on holiday, this encounter has grown into a stable, trusting partnership . Haromex has established English Harbour Rum in Europe while always respecting the brand's origins – its roots, its craftsmanship, its history. The Antigua Distillery has continued to evolve, creating new products and gaining international recognition – without ever forgetting what makes it who it is. Both sides have grown, together, side by side, at their own pace. Perhaps that is exactly where the secret of this bond lies: in the calm, in the consistency, in the shared joy of genuine quality.

When a bottle of English Harbour is opened today in Brüggen , it carries the scent of Antigua within it. For one brief moment, it's there – the smell of sugar cane, wood and sea, the warmth of the Caribbean, the laughter of the people who created this rum. It's a scent that's a reminder that great stories sometimes begin very small: with a holiday, a chance encounter, a feeling. And that, when they're meant honestly, they last. Like the one between Haromex and the Antigua Distillery – a story about passion, trust and the art of recognizing what's genuine at just the right moment.

Want to see more?
Then be sure to check out our Bottled Magazines – there you'll find more insights, exciting stories and exclusive background info about our partners and their rums.