History of Bay Rum
BAY RUM has a centuries old history in the West Indies. The peaceful Arawak Indians, it is said, held the Bay Tree sacred. Later settlers discovered how refreshing toilet waters became, when mixed with the oil extracted from Bay leaves..and an industry was born. Early on the estate owners on St. John paid the leaf pickers eight cents per bag for their labor-intensive work; each bag could hold up to 75 pounds or more but contained no less than 60 pounds apiece. The lower the weight, the lower the wage. The leaves were then carried to a still apparatus where the oil was extracted. Some authorities recommended three pickings of the leaves per year. Others believed that it was best not to interfere with the trees for a whole year; in this way, the leaves would increase in oil content the longer they remained on the tree.
In the early 1900s, prior to the transfer of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix from Denmark to the United States, approximately 4000 quarts of bay oil were produced in St. John on an annual basis. About 60,000 cases of bay rum (each case contained twelve quart-size bottles) were produced on St. Thomas. Large amounts were sent to Panama through the canal from whence it was 
transshipped to countries on the western coast of South America. The Virgin Island families who were the principal operators of bay-leaf enterprises on St. John were: E. W. Marsh, A. White, G. Bornn and A. Lindquist. The leading St. Thomas manufacturers of bay rum on St. Thomas were H. Michelsen, A. Riise, the St. Thomas Bay Rum Co., A. Vance and Valdemar Muller.
After the Transfer, the Van Beverhoudt family of St. Thomas produced and sold very fine bay rum and soap products. In these modern times, the Virgin Islands custom of making high-quality bay rum is being kept alive by the West Indies Bay Company, headquartered in Havensight on St. Thomas. Mr. Jerry Woodhouse, who owns the business, explained that his operation dates back here to 1946. They produce pleasant- smelling fragrances for ladies and men that are attractively packaged in bottles that have a natural looking island-type straw appearance.
On the island of Dominica Bay Trees are mainly cultivated in remote villages, many still accessible only by steep mountain trails. Dominica Essential Oils & spices produces more than 60% of the total production of Bay oil in the Commonwealth of Dominica which is the main producer in the world, producing more than 85% of the world’s product.
Additional facts about Bay Rum
Leaves can be plucked from a tree as young as three years old without inflicting any injury to it. Pickings during the first few years will yield about 25 pounds of leaves per year. When the tree has reached its maturity at least one hundred pounds of leaves can be counted annually, providing there are favorable weather conditions. At about ten years of age a bay tree reaches maturity and will continue to bear leaves for 50, 60 and 70 years under ordinary circumstances.
Experienced growers had differing opinions on how to create conditions that produce a superior-quality leaf and the best yield while considering the welfare of the tree. It was felt that for the benefit of the oncoming 
crop, breaking the branches by hand was better than using pruning knives
There are two methods for making bay rum. One way is to mix the bay oil with rum or with alcohol and water and then distill it. Another way is to distill the leaves directly into the alcohol instead of first extracting the bay oil. From the latter method, the product obtained is considered to be superior in aroma and strength. From one quart of the oil a lot of bay rum can be made, depending on the strength to which it is distilled.