William Hinton

William Hinton is a key figure in Madeira's sugar history. This Englishman landed on the island in 1838, and set up Fabrica do Torreão (also known as "Engenho Hinton") in 1845. This large sugar factory quickly became a great success. Such was its success that it was able to take over a monopoly of the industry in 1929. The sugar crisis that hit Madeira in the middle of the 20th century, however, took its toll on this giant, which ceased operations in 1976.
In 2006, Engenho Novo da Madeira recovered and relaunched the small original copper distillation column. The young distillery initially produced agricultural rums under its own name, before resurrecting that of William Hinton.

William Hinton rums are agricultural rums, made from pure cane juice. Fermentation is fairly short (24 hours), and the vesou is distilled in a small copper column. The distillery has also acquired a small traditional iron still to enrich its distillates. The rums are typically aged in French oak barrels that have previously contained red wine. The range then includes a variety of finishes in casks that have contained other wines and spirits. Read less