Pyrat

The Pyrat rum brand was introduced in 1997 and was originally known as Planters Gold, with its standard releases subtitled as the "XO Pyrat Reserve." It was created by Martin Crowley who opened a factory to blend and bottle it on the island of Anguilla. Crowley was co-founder of the Caribbean Distillers Corporation (CDC) alongside his business partner, John Paul DeJoria, and the Pyrat brand was operated through a subsidiary called Anguilla Rums Ltd.

In 2003 tragedy struck however, and Crowley passed away on the island on 19th April. His entire estate was left to an American charity called the Windsong Trust, which provides educational assistance to underprivileged children in third world countries. A protracted agreement was then reached with Bacardi Limited to acquire Crowley's share of CDC. The deal was completed in 2008 and saw Bacardi become a significant minority stakeholder and DeJoria become principal owner. Shortly after, the company was renamed Patrón Spirits International after its best-selling tequila brand.

Production of what had become Pyrat rum on the island of Anguilla was very much a labour of love during Crowley's tenure, who had an affinity for the island and its people. Under new management, the decision was made to streamline the operation and close the Anguilla Rums Ltd factory down, opting instead to move production of the brand to Guyana in 2010 where it is blended and bottled under contract by Demerara Distiller Ltd.

In 2018, Bacardi Limited acquired a 100% stake of Patrón Spirits International by buying out DeJoria, and the Pyrat brand was folded into their wider rum portfolio. In the years preceding, a change to the Pyrat label had started labelling it as a "Caribbean Spirit" due to it being blended with other natural flavours. This however changed again under Bacardi ownership who remarketed it as a blended rum.