Welcome to the love story on Seafield Farm—a love of family, a love of hospitality, pure passion, and an insistence on quality.
For all of us who don’t know, there are many different types of rum, not just the ones with red hearts or with a captain standing on them. You get varieties like white, gold, dark, aged, spiced, botanical, rums made from sugar, and fresh sugar cane (Agricole).
No two rums are created equally!
Meet this passionate and vibrant couple, Brad and Marisa O’Neill. Brad, who grew up in the Sugar cane fields of KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, and Marisa, a city girl from Cape Town, created a brand that is a tribute to Rodger O’Neill’s legacy and in loving memory of a father lost entirely too soon.
Brad and Marisa realised the potential of locally crafted rum on a trip to Mauritius in 2014 while visiting Chamarel Rum Distillery. There, they experienced Rum Agricole for the first time. In early 2018, they bought the first 100L stainless steel column still for product development, and in November 2019, they launched Sugar Baron Single Estate Craft White Rum.
What sets Sugar Baron apart from other rum distillers?
Sugar Baron makes its own Agricole Rum from the best-quality sugarcane grown and harvested on its farm. Freshly harvested, unburnt sugarcane is delivered to its distillery, crushed, and fermented. Once the ferment is ready, it is transferred into an 800L stainless steel strip still for the initial distillation. From here, it is transferred to a 200L copper and stainless steel hybrid pot/column still for the second distillation. It is here that they fine-tune the products organoleptically by tasting, touching, and smelling.
The utmost care is taken to capture only the very best parts of the distillation to make their Rum.
What is the difference between Agricole Rum and Rum?
The simple difference is that Rum is always made from Molasses (an industrial byproduct of sugar production). Agricole Rum is made directly from freshly pressed sugarcane juice! Upon harvest, the
sugarcane is immediately pressed to extract the free-run juice, which naturally ferments with added organic yeast from the outside sheath of the sugar cane stalks, producing Vin De Canne or sugar wine.
The careful production process of Agricole Rum results in a pure spirit, encompassing the sugarcane’s natural aromas and earthy vegetal character. It is said that the difference between Agricole Rum and other rums is to compare the difference between American Whiskey and Single Malt.
” For Agricole rum, using single varietal, mature, clean, fresh, unburned sugarcane grown in fertile soil is essential” and “You cannot distill a good rum from a bad ferment. The quality of a fermentation is key.”
With his history in the wine industry in Cape Town, Brad now spends his days farming and tending to the soil for his award-winning sugarcane crop. He is the head distiller at Sugar Baron. Marisa hung up her wings after 3 years as part of the Emirates cabin crew and is the product developer and head of sales, marketing, and finance at Sugar Baron while assisting with the distillation.
Sugar Baron Single Estate White Rum – Made in the Agricole style from freshly pressed sugarcane juice. This Bold & punchy tropical flavour hits you on the nose as you settle into the floral,
vegetal & tropical flavours on the palate. Perfect for sipping over ice or a variety of classic rum cocktails
Sugar Baron Single Estate Barrel-aged Rum – Aged in a combination of French & American Oak barrels for at least two years in a sub-tropical climate. There are hints of vanilla, toasted brioche, straw, honey, and nuts on the notes, with a subtle citrus component and the Agricole characteristics still present. This is a rum full of complexity with a smooth, warm, lingering finish.
Sugar Baron Coffee Rum Liqueur – Our award-winning rum combines with a blend of choice, hand-selected ingredients, including premium quality coffee beans, to produce this velvety, ever-so-satisfying cream liqueur. This special liqueur is dessert in a glass.
Sugar Baron Cherry Rum Liqueur – Our award-winning rum, infused with plump and juicy, premium quality Cherry Time™ cherries and natural cane sugar, produces this sumptuously rich and fragrant liqueur.
Stimela Cane Spirit – Triple distilled through a pot and column still, we ensure a smooth and rounded take on an old friend.
Sugar Baron Rum fudge Sauce – An indulgent, handmade fudge sauce infused with Sugar Baron Single Estate Craft Rum! Drizzle over cakes, pancakes, ice-cream, fruit, or add a dollop to your milkshakes, coffee, or cocktails. Best eaten straight from the jar! Can be served hot or cold
“We think Rum is definitely on the way up. There is still much work to be done to educate the public on the various styles of Rum and what good Rum really is and can be. Here in SA especially, we have only ever really been exposed to the sub-standard, mass-produced adulterated spirits masquerading as Rum”
Sugar Baron Single Estate Craft Rum is one of only a handful of distilleries in South Africa that produce rum in the Agricole Style. They offer visits to their distillery in Richmond so you can get a true taste of Sugar Baron’s hospitality.
Visit their website at www.sugarbaron.co.za and be ready to discover a LOCAL rum that is made in a style that is only used by 3% of all the rums in the world!
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