Travellers Liquors (One Barrel Rum)

Travellers Liquors is a Belizean rum house whose head office and Heritage Rum Museum stand at 2.5 Miles Phillip Goldson Highway in Belize City. The business began in 1953 when Jaime Omario Perdomo Sr., a man from humble beginnings, opened a bar in Belize City. He called it Travellers, since customers were mostly passing into or out of the city. Sugar was king in 1950s Belize and bars made their own rum blends. Don Omario followed the custom and mixed his own house pours from flavors and essences. Seeking consistency, he developed the recipe for One Barrel aged rum, which remains the company's signature. He partnered with Luis Alberto Espat, who built a distillery in Belmopan. His sons Romel and Mayito joined in the 1970s. In 1983 Don Omario registered Travellers as a limited company with his children as shareholders. In 1989 the family bought out Espat's share to take full control of production. The distillery and the aging and bottling plant have since been upgraded to export standards. Visitors tour the Heritage Center on the highway site and taste the rums at the end. Outlets trade at Belize International Airport and in San Pedro. The Belize Tourism Board lists the tour among the country's attractions and notes that Don Omario founded the firm at the age of twelve.