With the demise of rum production on the estates in the early 20th century, the trade shifted to individual rum shops whose owners concocted their own blends and sold them under colourful names like Red Cock, House and Silver Leaf. In 1932 a number of these rum shop owners joined together to form the Antigua Distillery Ltd.

In 1991 ADL replaced its old Saville still with a new 5 column copper still from John Dore & Co. in England. With the new still in place, ADL began to expand its product mix. English Harbour Rum was introduced in 1993, a new brand of fine rum named for Antigua’s English Navy Heritage which now serves yachts of all sizes from around the world and hosts one of the world’s leading sailing events annually.