Beam Suntory’s Cruzan Rum distillery (Cruzan) has commenced production at its St. Croix distillery on the Virgin Islands in the US.

The production facility was closed for nearly three weeks to repair damage caused by Hurricane Maria.

While the warehouses were damaged, the rum supply was not impacted due to the distillery’s own power generation facility, which enabled timely resumption of production.

The Cruzan distillery has been engaged in the production of aged rums and is also a popular tourist destination.

"Our first priority was to establish the safety and wellbeing of our employees, and to help them get back on their feet."

Beam Suntory global supply chain senior vice-president David Hunter said: “Cruzan’s roots are wide and deep in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) and Cruzan. The Beam Suntory family has been engaged from the start in support of our employees and neighbours in the Territory during this incredibly challenging time.

“Our first priority was to establish the safety and wellbeing of our employees, and to help them get back on their feet. We airlifted in 35 restoration workers with necessary equipment and supplies to help get the distillery back up and running safely.

“In partnership with our friends at Diageo, we teamed up to ship to St. Croix a container of relief supplies, including 90 generators and drinking water.”