Puerto Rico rum distillery to increase production
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico's largest distillery says it plans to roughly triple its production of rum within a few years.
Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Tuesday that Destileria Serralles Inc. had signed several deals with private investors. He said the increase in production will start this month.
The company confirmed that the expansion would push output up by 8 million gallons a year from the current 4 million to 5 million. Its best-known brand is Don Q.
The U.S. territory has pushed to boost its rum production after Diageo North America moved production of Captain Morgan rum from Puerto Rico to the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2008.
Garcia recently announced that farmers will cultivate up to 20,000 acres (8,000 hectares) of sugarcane by 2016 as part of a $170 million project.
