OUR CRAFTSMEN

Lennox Shaun Caleb comes to the job of Master Distiller for Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) after a decade-long association with the Company. Having attended Princeton University as a Cadet of DDL, Shaun graduated in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering with Honours. Thereupon, he applied his in-depth knowledge and practical exposure to distillation to understudy then-Master Distiller, George Robinson, who had more than four decades of stellar distilling experience.

Caleb returned to the Distillery at a critical juncture when two new Distillation Stills were being designed and built: a fully-integrated, multi-pressure, five-column still, and a two-column Coffey-type still. Then the Engineer/Project Manager, he was integrally involved in the design and engineering, installation and commissioning of the Stills. Thus, he harmoniously bridges the steep traditions and craft of the Demerara Heritage Stills, with the modernity of the technologically-advanced new Stills - none sacrificing the integrity and authenticity of the other.

Sharon Sue-Hang-Baksh started her career in the rum business at Demerara Distillers Limited as a chemist in 1995, having graduated from University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. Baksh started in the Quality Assurance Department and held many positions in the organisation including Quality Assurance Manager, Quality Assurance Director, and Technical Director. She also holds a MBA in Business Management.

Talk to her about her role as the Master Blender of DDL and this is where her passion is clear. Despite a background in the sciences, Baksh insists that blending "is more of a fine art than a science” and explains that the magic she creates comes from blending over 300 years of tradition with science. She has an acute sense of smell, honed by over two decades of training, and a memory of dates and rum notes. Baksh values her role as the gatekeeper of the El Dorado rum tradition.