Rhum Barbancourt was established by Dupre Barbancourt in 1862 when he moved to Haiti from the Cognac region of France. He learnt to make rum and began selling it that very same year. The production method that Dupre Barbancourt originally used is still the same method used at the distillery today.
Barbancourt is still distilled in Haiti, though in 1952 the rum distillery relocated to a new site, surrounded by sugar cane fields that grow much of the sugar cane used for the rum. Barbancourt prides itself on using only pure sugar cane juice for its rum - no molasses. The site change in 1952 impacted the brand hugely, as only then did it become possible for Barbancourt to expand its production and export its rum. It was also the first time that Barbancourt's aged rum went on sale, having been reserved for private use until then.
It is now owned by Delphine Gardère, the fifth generation of the family to lead the company.