National

John Watlings: The Gift Of The Season

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – John Watlings Distillery has made a name for itself by crafting quality Bahamian rum that mixes history with craftsmanship, and it can also be the gift of the season.

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Jasmin Brown

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – John Watlings Distillery has made a name for itself by crafting quality Bahamian rum that mixes history with craftsmanship.

Not only is it known as the rum of The Bahamas but it can also be the gift of the season.

“There’s definitely something for everybody, both the pale and the amber; those are meant to be mixed into cocktails… the amber can be sipped. The buena vista, the paradise, and especially the bullion, those are really sipping rums. It’s great for people who smoke cigars and yea it’s a great product for people to enjoy and its a Bahamian product after all.”

That’s John Watlings Distillery Managing Partner Pepin Argamasilla describing some of the popular rums crafted by John Watling’s Distillery.

And what does it take to craft the perfect spirit?

I found out first hand when I visited the distillery that’s located at the centuries old Buena Vista estate.

The process includes sourcing the finest ingredients, distillation, filtration, and blending.

“John Watlings Pale and John Watlings Amber are a combination of their a combination of the 2 to 3 year olds and basically those are blended after the aging process. The John watlings buena vista what we do is blend that together before the aging process. Then we place it into barrels, ex bourbon barrels.”

And what’s a tour without a little tasting.

I had the pleasure of sipping straight from the barrel.

Argamasilla tells me the unique flavor wouldn’t be possible without the more than 30 Bahamians who work here.

From the award-winning taste to the labor or love design, John Watlings rum has gained fans from across the world, making it the perfect gift this holiday season.

“You can purchase John Watlings rum basically in every liqour store in New Providence and throughput The Bahamas.”