Topper's Rhum Distillery — Attraction in Saint Martin

This tour I had read about online and decided to book, even though our cruise ship did not mention it anywhere as an option to do on St. Maarten. Booked through their website and got confirmation emails, they even answered questions on how to get there from cruise port. We took a local taxi from Phillipsburg to the distillery and within 5-10 minutes Dave, our guide/host, arrived to start the tour for myself, my GF, another couple, and another gentlemen. the 90 minute tour covered the history of Rum from existence to current days, with fun little bits of history and jokes mixed in. Dave also covered the Toppers history and explained their process and attention to quality. As part of our tour we were able to sample 3 of their experimental flavors, 2 of which we selected ourselves. The 3rd flavor Dave selected for us, which was Nelson's Blood, and told the interesting history of Admiral Nelson and rum, which was very nice bit of history mixed with their great rum. I tried their Marshmallow (which was great) and the Doctor Todd (tasted just like a Dr. Pepper snow cone) while my GF sampled the Peanut Butter cup (spot on flavor!) and the homemade apple pie (amazing flavor, unbelievably smooth and great!). We then toured the facility and got to help with packaging, bottling, and other aspects of the Toppers production and the entire time was mixed with humor, information, and fun. The attention Toppers does to quality and consistency was amazing and recommend you check them out. After the tour we got to sample all 6 of their commercially produced spirits as well as the rum cakes they make...all of which were great. We ended up purchasing a bottle of the homemade apple pie as well as the Jalapeno lime Rhum from their extremely limited production barrel, as well as the 4 back of their commercial flavors. Dave helped us call a taxi and it was nicer, cleaner, more friendly, better quality, and $5 cheaper than the previous one we took. He also gave us a few points of contact for shopping back in Phillipsburg who were great also.

This tour is amazing and everyone should book it while on St. Maarten. If you are on a cruise, it is a perfect way to see part of the island while getting to the tour and getting back to port, but still allows plenty of time to shop or beach while ashore. Cruise ships need to start offering this tour onboard as it was worth the price and experience and was better than most tours I have taken in Caribbean. Dave and the staff at Toppers was friendly, funny, informative, and had a nice laid back attitude that was relaxing to be around. We now know which Rhums we will be purchasing going forward and Toppers will be exclusively...

DON'T PASS THIS UP!!! My wife and I recently visited St. Maarten on a royal Caribbean cruise, although it was offered as a shore excursion we booked directly through Toppers, mainly because it was cheaper. Our taxi ride to our tour took longer than anticipated due to traffic on the island and a bad car accident, we feared we would miss our 10am tour. Our fun began when our taxi driver took us to Toppers restaurant instead of the distillery, without knowing the difference we got out of the cab and walked up to the building a half hour late for our tour, where Topper himself was standing outside . He greeted us and immediately asked how he could make our experience one not to forget. We explained we were late for the tour, that's when we found out we were in the wrong place. Topper told us not to worry, called the distillery for us to inform them and then instead of helping us get another taxi, his daughter offered to give us a ride. You can't find that customer service anywhere!!!!! Once at the distillery, we were greeted by Dave the tour guide, he offered us some rum punch and then we began the tour. Dave did a great job with the tour while getting us rummed up before noon. It was the best distillery tour I have ever been on, even considering I was in Louisville the week prior doing bourbon tours. Not to mention the rum was great. After the tour we went back to Toppers restaurant and had a delicious meal, we recommend the ribs, fell right off the bone. Thanks for the memories Topper! All for rhum and...

We had a fantastic time! From the cruise pier, get a taxi to Topper’s in Cole Cay, not Topper’s in Simpson Bay (which is where our cab driver attempted to drop us). That said, The family that owns the distillery owns the restaurant, so it’s worth a visit too. It’s a short ride (20 min) from the pier and taxis are easy to get. It is tucked back in an industrial building, but it’s very safe. Tip: we booked directly through the distillery, even though we were cruising, and saved money. Even $40 for taxi and $43 for tour (2 people, private taxi both ways) is cheaper than $75 a person through the cruise ship (we were with Royal Carribean). This is totally a feseable afternoon activity if you do an excursion in the morning.

Crazy Dave is awesome and knows his stuff; he’s worth the trip alone. Tons of samples and a look at how they hand package each bottle. Their rhum is classified as a “craft” so no limits on what you can bring back. They do not ship, so check in advance to see if their 6 award winning commercial rhums are available in your area, that way you can save space for the varieties you can only get at the distillery. Their rhums are made from local sugar cane, in small batches with all natural ingredients (no preservatives and such) by hand. Many are designed to sip straight, so even those who don’t usually drink rhum, like myself, will enjoy.

In short, it’s the activity on St. Maarten you didn’t know you needed to do. We had a fantastic time and will be loyal...