Key West, Fla., now has even more ways to celebrate Ernest Hemingway’s adventurous spirit with the May 20 opening of Hemingway Rum Company’s Rum Distillery & Experience Center.
Built inside a historic brick tobacco warehouse, the more than 8,000-sf facility brings the heart and soul of Hemingway Rum Company to life. It features an Experience Center, Tasting Room and Trading Post, and will eventually support production of the company’s popular Papa’s Pilar rum. Groups of up to 20 can tour the space to check out the 350-gallon Hamilton Pot Still used to produce 80 gallons of rum per day or enjoy an interactive scent display featuring active ingredients in rum. “Papa,” as Hemingway was known, is certainly honored throughout the space, with a swivel picture wall and replica of his Pilar boat built into the ceiling’s rafters.
At the end of the tour, attendees will taste a sampling of Papa’s Pilar dark and blonde rums in the facility’s Tasting Room. This space, fittingly, features a Hemingway-inspired bar top that highlights newspaper clippings, photographs and other memorabilia honoring the famous author. Attendees can also visit the Trading Post to find adventure gear and bar accessories as well as local trinkets from Key West merchants in the designated “locals corner.” Currently waiting on approvals, the facility will eventually be available for event rentals.
