Tour Tortuga

If you’ve ever wanted to see firsthand Cayman’s favourite rum cake being made, you are now in luck.

A new bakery tour offers visitors a chance to learn more about the history of Tortuga Rum Company, and the art and science that goes into creating the legendary rum cakes, born from a four-generation-old family recipe.

“The tour includes observation windows where visitors can witness first-hand the meticulous process undertaken by Tortuga’s bakers to create their signature Golden Original Rum Cake,” says Natalie Porter, head of marketing and communications at Tortuga Rum Company.

“Additionally, visitors have the opportunity to sample a variety of flavours, including the iconic recipe that has been delighting palates since 1987.”

The starting point for the tour is a new visitors centre, which provides insight into Tortuga’s 40-year journey, which started with the late Robert Hamaty and his wife Carlene Hamaty in 1984.

Since then, the family-owned company has grown to an international name, with Cayman’s first private label rums being introduced in 1985, and now more than a dozen registered blends of liquors and liqueurs being produced.

Tortuga rum cake was introduced in 1987. Today, across all regions, Tortuga produces up to 27 different flavours and types of rum cakes, including cakes that are exclusive to certain regions and markets. In the Cayman Islands specifically, 10 different flavours are available.

Alongside the opening of the bakery tour and visitors centre, Tortuga has introduced new packaging for its Cayman rum cakes, which are exclusively available here in the Cayman Islands. The commemorative box design showcases the original bakery building, which is still the home of Tortuga Rum Company today, and from which 5,000 rum cakes are produced per day.

FUN FACT

Each 16oz (1Lb) equivalence of cake is glazed with 4oz of Tortuga’s special Rum Glaze, with the recipe being a closely guarded secret.

This article originally appears in the Spring 2024 issue of What’s Hot.