The History of Newburyport Rum & Caldwell’s Distillery
Soon after the English came in 1630, Newburyport became an important Colonial and early Federal period shipbuilding and trading center. And rum was always part of that trade. There used to be a big sign on a ramshackle distillery near the water, “Caldwell’s Rum Since 1790.” The complex was torn down to make way for the River’s Edge Condominiums.
There was no glory in this trade; molasses from the West Indies was distilled into dark, flavorful rum, stored, aged and shipped in oak, and traded for slaves in Africa, who were transported to the West Indies. And so, it would go on and on. Rum was a vital, perhaps the key, component in this Triangular Trade that enriched many a New England family and enslaved many an African one.
And many a poor New Englander tried to keep warm on bitter nights with rum grogs and toddies.
Old Newburyport Rum was once produced in a distillery right about where Leary’s Package Store stands now, downtown on the waterfront. To this day no one can duplicate the very specific taste of New England Rum, which was another brand of Caldwell. Sad to say, that New England rum taste may be gone forever. It was the second-oldest trademark for rum in the US, the oldest of them all is Old Medford, and that’s what Paul Revere was drinking in roadhouses in route to Lexington.”
By 1662, Newbury had its first distillery called a malt house. The Colonial legislative body awarded Captain Paul White a license to still strong waters for a year and sell by the quart. Rum sold for about 25 cents a gallon, but most bought it by the barrel. Others started their rum distilleries: Daniel Pierce, Caleb Moody, Stephen Cross and James Ordway on Federal, Water and Market Streets. By 1790, Newbury was host to ten distilleries. The merchants had a healthy trade of molasses in from the Caribbean and the rum was processed aggressively along the waterfront. By this time, 3,000 hogsheads [barrels the height of an average man] were produced annually. A hogshead was a 63-gallon wooden cask. About one-fifth of the rum was exported and the vast majority was consumed locally.
Rum was as much a staple drink as milk and tea. Even the religious made an exemption when it came to rum. Nearly every house and church in Newburyport was raised on a barrel of rum. When the Old South Church was erected in 1756, five barrels of rum, one barrel of brown sugar, two loaves of white sugar, one case of lemons and 50 pounds of butter were consumed (presumably in combination in a brew). Outside of every shipyard and some businesses, a barrel of rum was placed. The workers would take a good swig before going to work in the morning and at the end of the day’s toil. When the Newburyport Turnpike was built in 1803, its cost was estimated in rum as well as dollars. $8,000 and a hogshead of rum per 1-1/4 mile of highway. Each worker was paid $1.25 per day and a pint of rum.
By 1829, only four distilleries remained. Finally, it would be a rum distillery founded in 1790 by Alexander Caldwell that was located over by Kent Street that would be the only survivor for most of the 19th and 20th centuries. Started by a Litchfield, New Hampshire native who first moved to Newbury-Port in 1746. He worked the distilleries until he acquired enough skill to start his business in 1790.
His Caldwell Distillery also established a bonded warehouse which enabled the government to collect taxes on the spirits he produced. The warehouse was purchased by Cornelius Leary in 1897 and is the present sight of Leary’s Fine Wines & Spirits which was established in 2004 when Todd Baltich purchased the company.
Alexander Caldwell died in 1832 and his son, John, assumed the reigns of the distillery and distinguished the company by producing some of the finest quality rum in the nation. By 1848, Caldwell was the last distillery in the city and continued until Prohibition.
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After Prohibition was over, another group organized and began distilling under the Caldwell name. The executors of George Caldwell took the group to court, their company prevailed and operated under the name, A. & G.J. Caldwell, Inc. out of an old shoe factory on Pearson’s Wharf on Newburyport’s waterfront. They continued to distill in Newburyport until 1961 and they relocated to Somerville, MA. Liquor under the Caldwell name is still sold today but is no longer locally made and comes only in Vodka. Its quality and cost are at the bottom.
The only thing remaining to even hint of the glorious past, a profile of a Newburyport clipper ship on the label.
Today, Privateer Rum out of Ipswich still sells the rich-butterscotch aroma distilled in oak barrels that provide the rich, unique taste of the Old Caldwell Clippership Rum. But that line is in their premium listing and is a pretty penny to purchase a bottle. The product is sold locally by O’Leary’s on Merrimac Street.
The Timeline:
1767 First distillery in business
1785 Laird and Ferguson’s Brewery opens at the bottom of Green Street.
1790 Caldwell’s Rum is established at Kent Street with the main distillery near the water and west of Winter Street.
1790 Ten Distilleries are in operation.
Daniel Pierce Distillery, Federal Street
Caleb Moody Distillery
Stephen Cross Distillery, Water Street
James Ordway Distillery, Market Street
1829 Only four distilleries remain.
1848 A. & G.J. Caldwell, Inc. now the only distillery in the city.
1919 Caldwell shut down due to the Prohibition Laws.
1932 – After Prohibition was over, another group organized and began distilling under the Caldwell name.
1935 The executors of George Caldwell take the group to court, their company prevails and operates under the name, A. & G.J. Caldwell, Inc. out of an old shoe factory on Pearson’s Wharf on Newburyport’s waterfront.
1961 The company relocates to Somerville, MA.
Today Liquor under the Caldwell name is still sold today but is no longer locally made and comes only in Vodka. Its quality and cost are at the bottom. The only thing remaining to even hint of the glorious past, a profile of a Newburyport clipper ship on the label.