Bacardi factory tour: Casa BACARDÍ Puerto Rico Tickets | Buy Tickets

Casa BACARDI Visitor Center and Tour in San Juan, Puerto Rico

If you’re a fan of rum and are headed to Puerto Rico, a stop at the iconic Bacardi Rum Factory should be on your short list of things to do. The Casa BACARDI tour once included free samples; however, those days are seemingly long gone.

When we did the Casa BACARDI tour, it was on an organized group tour and still included a free sample of Bacardi rum. Today, there are several price options, which may not seem like that good of a deal to some. Given the admission prices of Casa Bacardi today, visiting on your own makes far more sense. I felt we were pretty rushed given the time constraints of the large group that had to get back to town when the tour was over. The grounds are beautiful and it would’ve been nice to enjoy the patio area more (and not gulp my drink). There are cheap public transportation options, but if I went again, I’d prefer to rent a car in San Juan and explore more of the island itself.

Welcome to Casa BACARDI in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Are you wondering if the tour is still worth it?

I’d say yes, especially if you have an interest in the history of Caribbean rums. Even prior to moving to Belize, I had always been drawn to Caribbean rums and the history of various countries’ production styles.

The Bacardi brand has been around since 1862, when Don Facundo Bacardi Masso launched his rum in Santiago de Cuba. He introduced it to markets like Havana, San Juan, and Miami. Bacardi established itself in Old San Juan around 1936 and in the last 25 years, it has emerged as the top selling rum in the United States.

Bacardi sign on distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico

Home of the Bat

Bacardi is immediately recognizable by its well-known bat logo. During your tour at the Casa BACARDI Visitor Center, you’ll learn about Bacardi’s history, how he started in rum, and the meaning behind the bat logo itself. Be sure to bring your camera as you’ll find a pretty impressive rendition of the bat logo in the Spanish-style courtyard.

Bacardi Bat in the Spanish style courtyard at Casa BACARDI.

Medals on the Bacardi Label

Have you ever noticed that the label of Bacardi bottles contain eight medals? The oldest is from Matanzas, Cuba, in 1881, while the others are awards from international exhibitions that followed.

Casa BACARDI Tour Options

With the recent price hikes, here’s a look at what the tour prices are now, as of April 2015.

Casa BACARDI Visitor Center Fee $12

Must enter prior to 4pm to take this tour, which includes:

• Commemorative Bacardi Cup
• Bacardi Special “Welcome” Cocktail
• Brochure of Bacardi Distillery Tour

Casa BACARDI Rum Tasting $35

Package offered daily every hour, on the hour, between 10am to 4pm, and includes:

• Commemorative Bacardi Cup, Bacardi Special “Welcome” Cocktail, brochure of the Bacardi Distillery Tour and Official Certification of Completion
• Distillery tour and access to the cathedral of rum with assigned brand master
• Experience rum tasting of Bacardi Superior, Bacardi Oakheart, Bacardi 8, and Bacardi Reserva Limitada

Bacardi Mixologist describing the signature cocktails.

Casa BACARDI Mixology Seminar $35

If you want to make your own Bacardi cocktails, this tour is for you. These seminars are offered on the half-hour, every hour between 10:30am to 4:30pm, and include:

• Commemorative Bacardi Cup, Bacardi Special “Welcome” Cocktail, brochure of Bacardi Distillery Tour, and Official Certification of Completion
• Distillery tour and access to the cathedral of rum with assigned brand master
• Prepare 3 legendary Bacardi cocktails: Cuba Libre, Mojito, and Daiquiri

Bacardi Legendary Cocktails

If you take the Mixology Seminar, you’ll try making three of the most famous cocktails the Bacardi name is associated with:

Bacardi and Cola

This is the original Cuba Libre, which originated in Old Havana after the Spanish-American war. Legend has it that the drink was invented by an American military officer who ordered Bacardi rum, coke on ice with a wedge of lime.

Bacardi Mojito

This is often called the unofficial cocktail of Cuba. It became popular around the time Bacardi light rum hit the scene. Made with spearmint leaves, sugar, lime juice, seltzer, and Bacardi rum, of course.

Bacardi Daiquiri

You can thank an American mining engineer for this creation. After a long hot day at work in the iron mines, he took fresh lime juice, sugar, crushed ice, and Bacardi rum. He named it the Daiquiri after the name of the mines he worked in, the Daiquiri Iron Mines.

Welcome drinks at Casa BACARDI

Tours are  Monday-Saturday from 9am to 6pm (last tour 4:15pm) and Saturday from 10am – 5pm (last tour 3:45pm). To drive to Casa BACARDI, take Highway 22 west from San Juan and exit Cataño, Road 165. You can see the facility on the right, about a mile from the exit on Road 165, Km 2.6, Int. 888. For more information, see Bacardi’s website.

This post was in partnership with Alamo Rental Car, but as always, thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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Erin De Santiago

Erin is a freelance travel, food, wine, and Disney Theme Parks writer splitting time between Belize and the Netherlands. She has written for outlets like Viator, TripAdvisor, Roam Right Travel Insurance, Expedia, Hipmunk, Trivago, MasterCard, and she is AFAR Magazine’s Belize expert. Erin was the primary author for Belize’s official visitor magazine in 2013, and the English language editor for a renowned Spanish chef’s second cookbook. Erin also holds a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) designation and has traveled to 70 countries on six continents in search of good food and wine, and all things Disney.

Casa Bacardí – Rum Distillery Tour

Fun fact about Puerto Rico: Over three-fourths of the USA’s rum supply is produced on this tiny, humid island.

So it should come as no surprise that one of the top attractions in the San Juan area is Casa Bacardí, where one of the world’s most beloved rums is distilled and produced.

As rum lovers, my husband and I couldn’t resist the chance to visit the grounds of a rum distillery (especially when a complimentary welcome drink is included in every tour, hello). We did our research and opted for the Mixology Tour, which gives visitors the chance to learn how to prepare the three most popular rum concoctions: a Cuba Libre, a daiquirí (not the frozen kind!), and–my personal favorite–a mojito. We chose this tour over the Historical Tour (which is cheaper, but less interactive) and the Rum Tasting Tour because we felt it provided the most bang for our buck: you get to consume the three beverages that you create! Upon completing our tour, I had different thoughts, which I discuss in this post.

I’ve written up a summary of our experience and some tips I wish I had known, so keep reading if you’re thinking about visiting Casa Bacardí for yourself!

Getting There: From Old San Juan, take the ferry over to Cataño for $1 roundtrip (per person). The ferry can be found at the port on Calle Marina; go into the red and gray building on the water and find the kiosk where an agent is selling tickets. (The building is across from a CVS and when you enter, there should be a Subway on your right. ) The ferry leaves every 30 minutes but isn’t very timely, so arrive with more time than you think you’ll need. The ride over is about 15 minutes. Once you arrive in Cataño, there will be vans and taxis waiting to drive you the 10 or so minutes to Casa Bacardí for $6 roundtrip (per person).

Side Note: The Casa Bacardí website says to arrive 45 minutes prior to your tour in order to fully enjoy the premises. We may have missed something, but I’m not entirely convinced that such a long window is necessary since there are no buildings nearby to check out; that recommendation seems more like a way to get visitors to hang around the welcome bar waiting for their tour to begin, developing a thirst for more (non-complimentary) drinks. But hey, you’re being encouraged to drink rum at all hours of the day, so who’s complaining?

Duration: The Mixology Tour lasted about an hour and a half, so with travel time and everything, I’d say to allow for about two and a half to three hours for the entire Casa Bacardí experience (assuming you don’t miss the ferry over, like we did).

The Tour: I was disappointed in the “touring” portion because it’s basically just a tram ride around the grounds, not an in-depth look into the workings of a distillery. Your assigned guide (or Brand Master, as they’re called) drives you around and tells you about the history of Bacardí, and you make two stops, both of which are clearly designated tourist spots. In other words, you don’t venture too far in to the factory; instead, you’re brought to spaces that seem to have been built for large groups, featuring large displays that teach about the rum-making process but no real “behind-the-scenes” feel.

Becoming A Mixologist: This part of the tour was also a bit underwhelming, but still enjoyable. Your group is brought into a large, bland room where tables are set up and equipped with all your mixology needs–glasses, a shaker, a meddler, the ingredients, etc. (No, you don’t get to pour your own alcohol; the shots are pre-measured into little cups!) You are led step by step through the process of creating a Cuba Libre, a daiquirí, and a mojito. In my opinion, the mojito was the only one that felt like it required even the slightest bit of skill. The other two drinks were really simple to make and I didn’t feel like I learned much. However, all three were delicious, and you will leave with a buzz.

Overall Impression: The Mixology Tour wasn’t worth the high price tag, and I suspect the Rum Tasting Tour wouldn’t be, either. Go for the much less expensive Historical Tour; you get the same tour of the grounds at a fraction of the cost, and you still get one rum beverage included, so it doesn’t feel like a total rip-off. However, with the low prices on rum around most of Old San Juan, you could get three or four cocktails for the same price and just read the history of Bacardí for yourself. 😉

Have you visited Casa Bacardí or gone on a similar tour? If so, share your experience in the comments! I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips.

Bacardi Distillery, Bacardi Rum Distillery

• Location: Nassau, Bahamas
• Phone: +1 242-362-1412
• Founded: 1862
• Founders: Bacardi Facundo
• Key figures: Facundo L. Bacardi – Chairman of the Board, descendant of the founder of the company
• Industry: Liquor production

The Bacardi Distillery is one of New Providence’s attractions. Any self-respecting tourist is obliged to visit the place where they produce dark and light rum, because the history of the island is inextricably linked with pirates, who preferred it to all alcoholic drinks.

Tour of the Bacardi factory

The management of the company was forced to organize tours of the working shops, because the factory aroused frantic interest among visitors to the Bahamas. Sometimes he even interfered with the production process.
A free tour is conducted by the plant’s specialists. It begins with the history of the Bacardi family and is followed by a product tasting. During the tour, guests will learn the following:

1. Features of the technology of making rum . During the tour, visitors will be told what products are produced at the plant, as well as some secrets of the production of this strong drink and a brief history of the plant. Guests also have a unique opportunity to taste rum, which should be handled with care.
2. Aging shop . One of the interesting parts of the tour is the aging workshop, which stores oak barrels of rum. The drink is aged in them for a certain technology time, due to which it acquires a specific taste and shade.
3. Visit to the company store, where you can buy rum at a discount. The assortment contains rare types of products that cannot be found in Nassau stores. True rum lovers will also find collectible drinks here. For example, visitors are offered mixed but popular drinks like Bacardi Bahama Mama. The main part of the production is sent to Europe, and a very small part remains in the Bahamas. Therefore, it is worth taking the chance to replenish your own bar at nice prices. The main thing is not to make a mistake with the rules for transporting alcoholic beverages so that the desired rum is not lost at customs.

Time and place of the tour

Visit Bacardi Distillery in New Providence Monday through Thursday at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm and Friday at 2:00 pm. Factory visits must be arranged in advance.
The plant is located on the south coast of the island. It is more convenient to get to it by taxi.

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Masterpieces of industrial tourism: the BACARDI plant

The story of a company that celebrated its 160th anniversary on February 4, 2022.

BACARDI is the largest private liquor company. The list of Bacardi products consists of more than 200 items, including the rum of the same name. Founded in 1862, privately owned by seven generations of the Bacardi family, it now manufactures its products in 27 factories in 16 countries on four continents. Headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda, the company employs approximately 6,000 people and sells products in more than 150 countries.

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The company was founded in 1862 by Facundo Bacardi Masso together with his brother José. Facundo Bacardi emigrated from the Spanish province of Catalonia to the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. At that time, rum was a cheap drink, sharp and burning, which was sold in inexpensive taverns. It was not customary to use it in polite society and serve it at secular receptions. Then Don Facundo decided to make a “civilized” rum and began to conduct experiments on the distillation of rum at home using different raw materials and enzymes.

After 10 years of experimentation, he created his own production technology, including the cultivation of a special type of yeast. This unique ingredient is still used today and provides the unsurpassed quality and taste of BACARDI rum. As a result of the experiments, a new operation appears in the production of rum, which has never been used before: the rum was softened by passing through a carbon filter to remove impurities, then it was aged in an oak barrel and a blend was selected.

Facundo kept a journal of his work, like a real experimenter, evaluating the results. And after numerous trials and errors, his efforts are rewarded – he manages to get a product that meets his standards.

Bacardi rums were softer and cleaner than other local rums – they were stronger, heavier and more like medicine. The surprisingly light rum of Dona Facundo, due to its aroma and aging, was not similar not only to other varieties of rum, but also to any other drinks of that time.

Don Facundo’s wife, Amalia, suggested making the bat the BACARDI logo. According to Cuban and Spanish traditions, bats symbolize good health, good luck and family unity.

Bacardi wanted to introduce his rum to the spirits market as soon as possible. And to achieve this goal, Don Facundo and his brother José buy a small factory for the production of alcoholic beverages for 3500 pesos. Thus began a new page in the life of Bacardi.

On February 4, 1862, the Bacardi y Compania company was born, whose products quickly gained their fans among the royals, gourmets and independent-minded people all over the world.

Don Facundo not only creates a new idea of ​​rum, but also changes people’s attitude towards drinking this drink. His creations – Bacardi rums with an original and smooth taste – to this day set the standard by which the quality of other rums is judged, from 1862 to our time.

On October 14, 1960, Bacardi’s assets in Cuba were confiscated by the Cuban revolutionary government. Mark Bacardi was transferred to Nassau, Bahamas. This was followed by an attempt by the new regime to sell fake Bacardi made in confiscated factories. Protecting the secret formulas and the trademark, the Bacardi family fought in exile in the marketplace and in international courts. After the victory, the fake Bacardi rum was withdrawn from sale, and the trademark and rights of the company are protected worldwide.

Bacardi rums are still made by members of the Bacardi family according to their original signature formulas using carbon filter cleaning, aging techniques, as was the case in Santiago de Cuba in 1862. It is done with the same care and care, skill and enthusiasm, in accordance with the strict requirements of Don Facundo, which he passed on to his descendants.

On February 4, 2022, BACARDI celebrated its 160th anniversary.

Learn more: Project materials Industrial tourism

Bacardi factory tour

Casa BACARDÍ welcomes all visitors over the age of 18.