Little River Distillery wants to be Miami's rum go-to experience
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Little River Distillery has multiple destinations inside. Photo: Courtesy Bacchus Agency
The folks behind Little River Distillery want it — and their slate of rums — to be Miami's go-to destination.
Why it matters: The distillery, which opened this month in Little River, is Miami's first rum aging house, according to the owners.
- Why Miami? "It's the only part of the Caribbean that didn't have its own rum," Kristjan Olafsson, co-founder and managing partner, told Axios jokingly.
- The city's tropical climate also played a role.
How it works: "We are a distillery, but we classify ourselves more as an aging and blending house," Olafsson said. That's because the brand buys the rum from larger distilleries to then focus on the aging process in-house.
- The team blends and ages the rums in sherry, cognac and port barrels, in addition to ex-bourbon barrels.
Zoom in: The brand has five rums, aged for one, three, five or eight years, plus its Vagabond blend, a clear Nordic Caribbean rum that's already won national awards.
- Each is made using traditional Venezuelan aging techniques without any additives (sugar), resulting in a smooth, less sweet finish.
The big picture: The concept launched in 2020 with Olafsson and Carlos Espasas, but the duo soon partnered with rum master José Pérez Cárdenas, whose award-winning career in Venezuela and the industry at large spans more than three decades.
- Jon Rollo later joined to lead the brand's hospitality operations.
State of sip: The 22,000-square-foot industrial-style warehouse encompasses a Founder's Bar & Speakeasy (60-person capacity), a Prohibition-themed bar in the center of the distillery and a rum lab.
- In the rear, there's a large outdoor courtyard and additional warehouse space.
Guests can enjoy a drink in the speakeasy or participate in distillery tours and guided flight tastings.
- For the rum enthusiasts, there's the Members Club, which offers a personal, engraved cask, private tastings and special pricing.
Zoom out: "We have this big space, but we wanted to create something unique to Miami and [different from] what the normal tourist destination would be," Rollo said.
- For the speakeasy, instead of a "typical Miami club" feel, the team wanted it to feel personal, like a living room.
The intrigue: The only spirits the distillery can serve are those made on site.
What's next: The team hopes to utilize the space for community events and serve as a destination for locals.