If you travel anywhere within the Dominican Republic, Brugals popularity is evident. From bars, to stores, to colmados, to people’s homes, you will come across a bottle of Brugal just about anywhere you look. Rum is the Dominican Republics national drink and Brugals omnipresence can be considered a direct testament to its quality.

Some popular ways Brugal is consumed is over ice, mixed with coke which is commonly referred to as a ‘cuba libre’, mixed with 7-up which is commonly referred to as a ‘santo libre’, or simply by itself in a glass. Some people mix Brugal with fresh fruit juices. It is also usually the main ingredient in mamajuana which is a drink that is rumored to have qualities as an aphrodisiac.

The Brugal Company was founded in 1888 by Andres Brugal Montener, a Spanish national who had migrated to Santiago de Cuba before settling into Puerto Plata which at the time was a booming port city. He used the expertise he gained in Cuba to found the Brugal Co. and the 100+ year old family tradition began. Today, Brugal family members continue to operate the business and it continues to be run out of Puerto Plata.

Today, Brugal has become the world’s third largest producer of rum behind the Puerto Rican brands Bacardi and Captain Morgan. Brugal, however, is the largest producer of traditionally made rum, aged in 120,000 American white oak barrels onsite in Puerto Plata. Later this year, a new aging warehouse with capacity for an additional 60,000 barrels will be ready for use. In 2002 the Brugal company produced 4.3 million 24-bottle cases of the rum. It produces 75,000 liters of rum every 24 hours and boasts an 80% market share of the rum market in the Dominican Republic.

Tourists visiting Puerto Plata can visit the Brugal factory and learn about this process and examine the rums progress throughout. These tours are offered several times per day. During these tours, visitors to the factory can see for themselves that many of the steps involved in Brugals production continue to be done by hand such as the placing of the characteristic yellow netting around the bottles. Towards the end of the tours, visitors view the bottle production line and are treated to a free sampling of the rum and have the opportunity to purchase it at the best prices. The Brugal tour has become one of the highlights of any trip to Puerto Plata and on any given day, as many as 500 tourists may pass through the factorys gates.