Ideally located in west Cumbria, the Jefferson bonded warehouse was the perfect place to receive imported goods from the Caribbean. Of course, rum featured heavily and was stored in all manner of oddly-named barrels: puncheons, hogsheads and firkins were hoisted and stored in this dimly-it cellar, once the scene of heavy industry.
Our bonded warehouse lies virtually unchanged, suffused with the memories of busyness and commerce. Once, it stored barrels and bottles of rum transported from the Caribbean for which the duty had not yet been paid. All of the machinery you can see is original, including a fascinating old hand corking device.
Cooperage
Are you ready for a hard day’s graft? An apprentice cooper was expected to train for up to 7 years to expertly forge sturdy wooden casks to be filled with Jefferson’s wine and rum. Our diorama offers a flavour of just how laborious and detailed this job could be.
Then we reach the giant ‘Jefferson Barrel’ which was constructed to hold nearly 8,000 litres of the dark spirit!
Don’t miss it!
You can’t fail to be impressed by the ‘Jefferson Barrel’ which was constructed to hold nearly 8,000 litres of the dark spirit. Back then the contents were worth an astonishing £250,000. The barrel is a behemoth; when we first attempted to install it in The Rum Story, it wouldn’t fit through the doors.
