Laurie Barnard, the late "Chairman" of St. Lucia Distillers, inspired and created the iconic brand Chairman's Reserve in 1999. His vision to define and reinvent the Saint Lucian rum category was unlike anything rum had seen before or has seen since. While other distilleries were purchasing column stills to increase production, Laurie was investing in eclectic barrel types, small pot stills, a proprietary yeast strain, and sugarcane. He believed that the best rum was not achieved from one barrel but by blending different components together of different ages, finishes, styles, and base materials.  

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Laurie was born in Saint Lucia in 1945 and didn't waste any time following in his father's footsteps in the agriculture industry. At the age of 18, he began working alongside his father Denis on the estate managing the sugarcane and banana business. Soon after, in 1969, he became the GM of the vast agricultural farm which had become the largest banana farm in the Windward islands and employed over 500 people. At the same time, he also assumed responsibility for the distillery and began his love affair with rum and the endless possibilities it provided.