British Virgin Islands Rum Report

This is the fifth installation of the Rum Report. Updates will be given from islands in the Caribbean which Sandpiper stops at that have distilleries.

During Sandpipers stop in Tortola/BVI we got the opportunity to stop at the oldest and smallest distilleries that we have had the opportunity to visit in the Caribbean. Once we made our way ashore, we smelled our way to Arundel Estate where the smell of distilling rum was in the island breeze. This distillery has been in operation for over the last 400 years and was in operation when we arrived. Unlike other distilleries that use molasses, the Arundel Estate uses raw sugar cane that is crushed behind their building with machinery that was shipped over from England several hundred years ago. The cane crusher used to be powered by donkeys, but according to our guide he said it was a time consuming process because they had to keep beating the donkeys to keep the machinery going. So now the crusher is powered by a small diesel engine with a long belt that rotates it.

Once the cane is crushed the cane juice is then boiled in open copper pots using the dried cane stalks as fuel for the fire. It's then put in barrels to ferment for 18 days naturally without adding yeast. After fermentation the fermented cane juice is poured into a copper still pot and a fire is lit. Coconut husks, scraps from local construction sites and tree limbs are burnt to distill the fermented wine. It takes all day to boil the alcohol from the ancient still where a pipe runs from the top of the still to inside the building where we could see the pure rum dripping into a well in the floor.

The rum is then hand ladled into large extremely old hand blown glass jugs where it is kept till it is ready to be bottled or barreled to age. This tiny distillery makes only 25 gallons of rum a day. White rum from the glass jugs is diluted and bottled as 80 proof white rum. Or it is barreled and allowed to age for 4 years. Or their top of the line is aged 10 years. This is the only licensed distillery in the Eastern Caribbean that uses a single pot still. Too cool!

There are several other rums around the BVI's such as Pussers Rum that still uses its original recipe from the 16th century. Pusser was the official rum for the British Royal Navy. Each man aboard was allowed a pint a day. But a pint a day is quite a bit to drink and still function. After general disorder and dysfunction throughout the fleet in 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon ordered the ration to be diluted with two parts water, sugar, and lime juice. It then become known as Grog. This tradition continued for over 200 years till 31-July-1970 ("Black Tot Day") when the last Grog was drunk aboard her Majestys Ships.

Pussers Rum is a blend of six different Caribbean rums and now is marketed in Pussers restaurant/bars around the world. We got the chance to visit one of these shops on our stop in Gibraltar before our Atlantic Crossing.

Other rums sold in the BVI's are Foxy's Firewater Rum that he sells at his beachside bar in Jost Van Dyke. It's not bottled in the BVI's. Instead it is a blend of rums bottled in Trinidad and then has his label added to the bottle.

Another rum bottled in Trinidad and labeled in the BVI's are resort blends that are labeled with whatever resort wants to have their own labels.

Stay tuned for the next issue of the 'Rum Report'!!

St. Lucia Rum Report

This is the forth installation of the Rum Report. Updates will be given from islands in the Caribbean Sandpiper stops at that have distilleries.

During our stay in St Lucia ‘Team Sandpiper’, along with Cap’n Chris from S/V Christa, Mom Sherman, and Dr. Bob piled in a taxi-van and headed south to St. Lucia Distillers Limited. This distillery has been in business since 1972 and produces 30 different liquors. Sugar cane used to be grown in St. Lucia to supply the distillery until the sugar prices crashed and St. Lucia changed its agricultural base from sugar to bananas. Raw molasses is now imported from Guyana in South America in bulk where it is poured into open concrete tanks to ferment for a week. It is then piped into a large copper continuous distillation column where the alcohol is extracted. The ‘rum’ is then either bottled directly or aged in oak barrels. Like other distilleries around the Caribbean these oak barrels are imported from the U.S. because U.S. law only allows bourbon distilleries to use their barrels once.

The tour of St. Lucia Distilleries was interesting and the tasting room was just a long table where we were told to drink as much as we wanted from the 30 bottles laying around. Our cab driver seemed to drink out of all thirty bottles before jumping back in his van, stating he was ready to drive us back.

St. Lucia Distilleries makes all kinds of different liquors such as strong rums, blended rums, coffee and peanut flavored liquors, and a rotgut wine that is much like Mad Dog 20/20. The most popular white rum is know locally as Denros Strong Rum. Its one of the strongest rums in the islands at 160 proof! It’s good rum to use in a rum punch as one bottle lasts forever. The best selling rum they produce is Bounty Rum that is a blended rum and caramel in color. There top of the line rum is Admiral Rodney Extra Old Rum that is aged in oak barrels. This rum was a gold medal winner at Rum Expo 2001. This was not available at the tasting table, but we were able to snag a bottle from the gift shop before we departed.

St. Lucia Distillers is the only distillery on the island. But wondering around the town market in Castries, many of the venders sell their own home made Spice Rum. This Spice Rum is white over proof rum that is added to an old bottle that they fill with all kinds of different fruits, spices, barks, tree branches, and whatever else is laying around. They also sell the bottles empty with the spices in the bottle. So all you have to do is add your favorite rum when you get home. Many venders sell over proof white rum in used bottles. But we are a bit wary to try this rum as we have no idea what is really in these bottles.

 
Stay tuned for the next issue of the ‘Rum Report’!!!

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Note From Ron: I've discovered that their Admiral Rodney Rum was named after British Navy Admiral George Rodney. He was based in St. Lucia and is best known for defeating the French Navy at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782 during the American Revolution. The French were supporting the American rebels against the British. This battle, which took place in this part of the Caribbean, was an effort by the British to push the French out of the Caribbean and keep islands like Jamaica from falling into French or Spanish hands.

Grenada Rum Report

This is the third installation of the Rum Report. Updates will be given from islands in the Caribbean where Sandpiper stops at that have distilleries.

Grenada has no lack of rum. That is what I have determined after our 4-week stop at this rum soaked island. Production techniques vary around the island... from pot stills capable of making just a few gallons, to modern two-column stills yielding several thousand gallons a day. Sprits are made from sugar cane juice, cane syrup, or molasses.

There are many distilleries around the island. Not having the time to visit them all, we picked one. We decided to visit the River Antoine Estate as they are one of the few distilleries that still operates with its original equipment from 1785. That is just 9 years after America’s Independence!

Sugar cane that is grown on the estate is hauled down to the water-powered cane mill that they claim is the oldest working water mill in the Caribbean. It is then hand fed twice into the roller press that turns when river water is let into a sluice that runs the large water wheel. The goal is to extract as much cane juice as possible. The fresh squeezed sugarcane juice flows down a wooden sluice to the boiling house, where it is cooked in open cast iron pots over an open fire of dried cane stalks and wood. After the juice has boiled a few hours, the thickened liquid is ladled into another sluice that directs it to the fermentation tanks. There, yeast is added, and in 8 days it turns all its sugar into alcohol. This ‘wash’ is then directed to a copper pot below where a fire is built under the pot. Vapor from this boiling wash is condensed and piped to the sight glass on the ground floor of the still house.

After the tour we were given small samples that were more then enough. Rivers make Strong White Rum, and just one small sip is so strong that is absorbs right onto one's tongue.

Grenadians say one either loves Rivers Rum, or one hates it. I have to say it’s a bit overpowering, and it costs twice as much as other rums on the island. But the tour is ‘One Of A Kind’! I was a bit surprised how close we were allowed to get to the open topped fermentation tanks. And I was even more surprised when a German tourist stuck his finger into the tank and then into his mouth.

Another small distillery is the Dunfermline Estate, which has as very small distillery making their labeled Dunfermline Rum and Spicy Jack that is three years old. I never did see any of these bottles for sale around the island. So I think one must go to the estate to purchase bottles of their rum.

One of the larger distilleries on this island is Westerhall Estate Ltd. who dates back to the 1800’s. Their top selling rum is Westerhall Plantation Rum. It is quite tasty and comes in a distinctive bottle with a wax seal over its cork stopper and a hand written batch number on the label. They also produce Superb Light Grenada Rum, Strong Rum, and Jack Iron Rum. Their Jack Iron Rum is not the same Jack Iron that is produced on the neighboring island of Carriacou, but it is quite strong at 140-proof (70% alcohol).

The biggest distillery on the island is Clarke’s Court who is part of the Grenada Sugar Factory that was built in 1937. Tours are not given here and it is a very busy factory with over 500 cane farmers growing and harvesting for this facility. This factory produces 100,000 gallons of rum annually at 96% alcohol. That’s a lot of hangovers! Clarks Courts principle product that most Grenadians drink is Clarks Court Pure White Rum, 138 proof (69% alcohol). This rum is about $5.00 a bottle and is the best selling rum in Grenada.

They also produce regular strength rums such as Kalypso White Rum, Superior Light Rum, and their Clarks Court Special Dark Rum that is aged for six months, and then colored with carmel to give it its brown color. This dark rum turned out to be one of our favorites as it has a pleasant taste and is inexpensive.

One other interesting rum in Grenada is Tradition Specially Spiced Rum. It is a strong white rum that when bottled has spices, barks, nuts, herbs, roots and extracts floating around in the bottle. I never had a chance to taste this interesting rum, but I do have a bottle on board for one lucky Sandpiper Shore-Side Supporter!

 
A large part of Grenada’s economy comes from tourism and there is a big difference between ordering a rum drink in a tourist bar and ordering rum from a rum shop. Grenadian’s like their rum strong. They drink the white strong rum because it is cheap and you get more for your money. At the tourist bars you will not find the strong rums. As reported to us by a bar tender “The tourists cannot handle themselves when drinking strong rum.” Instead they serve them Clarks Court Special Dark Rum, or upon request a bit more expensive Westerhall Plantation Rum.

Most these Strong Rums are not exported off island and are consumed locally. During Piper’s haul out one evening at the boat yards bar I spied a large jug among the other liquor bottles. It was was filled with leaves, tree branches, and all kinds of other stuff. I asked the bar tender what it was and she told me it was ‘"Under the counter rum". So I ordered a shot of this very strong rum and the bar tender got a bit flustered as I think I am the first white person to order this there and they did not know what to charge me. It was a bit strong and tasted more like tree branches. I am not sure that I can recommend the ‘Under the Counter Rum’.

While among these islands I have been perfecting my rum punch recipe. There is a big difference between a rum punch that is ordered at a bar and a real rum punch. The rum punch’s ordered at a bar are just a fruit punch with rum and are consumed by tourists. Locals drink the Strong White Rum straight up with a bit of water as a chaser. A real Rum Punch recipes goes like this:

• One part sour (lime)
  
• Two parts sweet (sugar, or cane syrup)
  
• Three parts of strong (rum)
  
• Four parts of weak (water, juice, or nectars)
  
• Five drops of bitters and nutmeg spice
  
• Serve well chilled with lots of ice!!
  

This all means to squeeze lime juice into a glass along with some sweetener.  Then add one shot of white rum, a bit of water or juice, and mix. Then top this with five drops of bitters. The original bitters comes in a small bottle that is produced in Trinidad and claims to be the original recipe from 1824 by Dr. J.G.B. Siegert.

Then the last step is to take a nutmeg nut and small grater. With this grate a dusting of nutmeg on the top of this wonderful concoction and enjoy!!

Carriacou Rum Report

This is the second installation of the Rum Report. Updates will be given from islands in the Caribbean that Sandpiper stops at that have distilleries. The last island we were at that distilled rum was Barbados.

The Grenadine Islands, which we just visited, receive most their rum from St Vincent, where we had not stopped. In Edward Hamilton’s Book ‘Rums of the Eastern Caribbean’ he wrote about his experiences with ‘Jack Iron Rum’ in Carriacou. Carriacou is a small island of 9000 people that is part of Grenada just 6 miles to the south from here. Ed gives a great write up about Jack Iron in his book. But as hard as we looked around the island we never found one bottle! Although Jack Iron is distilled in Trinidad, I have read it is not sold there. Instead it is shipped to Carriacou/Grenada in barrels where the islanders bottle the rum in their own shops and add whatever spices they have laying around.

Jack Iron Rum out of the barrel is 99% strong and even has warning labels to keep it away from open flames.

The only Jack Iron we could find in the town of Hillsborough that was labeled was not the original made in Trinidad, but a knockoff made in Grenada or at least bottled there. The bottles that we did see when we asked around in the local grocery stores were old Mt Gay Rum bottles that had been used before and now filled with what they told us was Jack Iron Rum. We declined on a purchase as when buying rum in a bottle where the bottles seal had been broken sounded a bit sketchy. And we had been told by one of the locals that the stores water it down to make a profit. So our search for the king of strong rums (Jack Iron) in Carriacou was a bit of a failure.

But as in the other islands, when in a bar, we just order an 8th of rum, ice, and water, just like the locals do and your bar tab ends up being quite cheap. On our first night in town on Amy’s birthday at the Lambi Queen Bar, it was full of cruisers who were ordering up expensive beers, gin & tonics, and rum & cokes. We ordered up what the locals at the bar were having... just the small bottle of Grenada rum, ice, and water for only 3 U.S. bucks! We were told by the waitress in a quite voice not to let the other ‘white folk’ know we were ordering this as it was for locals only. More so they can make their money off the white folk who are willing to pay. I have no idea how they can make a profit off the locals at this low of a price. Just the cost of Coke is more then the rum here. So if one hangs with the locals drinking only the rum and ice, it is cheaper then drinking just a Coke alone.

We might be fortunate in that we never found the real Jack Iron rum on our stop here in Carriacou as the below letter printed in Ed’s book;

Dear May and George Willy,
We have known each other for some time now, but I want to apologize for yesterday and last Thursday. As you know when I am sober, I am a polite, kind, generous person. But when I am drunk, I turn into a horrible animal. For the sake of my family as well as yourselves, please do not serve me Jack Iron Rum or any other strong rum. I am witnessing this letter with the police to show my sincerity.

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Notes From Ron:

• There is a "Tourist Version" of Iron Jack bottled by Westerhall on Grenada that is watered down to 140 proof to comply with airline regulations.
  
• Iron Jack Rum is reputed to be the only booze in which ice will sink! Actually, ice will sink in anything over about 120 proof.
  
• Iron Jack is made in Trinidad by Trinidad Distilleries, Ltd (TDL), which is owned by Bacardi, and bottled on Carriacou and Grenada. It is distilled in oak barrels.
• Each rum shop and grocery store in Carriacou and Grenada may have it's own label, or none at all. Here are some sample labels (warning... the site has loud steel drum music). The cheaper stores simply use recycled bottles from from other spirits.

Barbados Rum Report

This is the newest exciting addition to Sandpiper's site. While transiting the Caribbean we will be sacrificing our bodies while we do in depth research discovering as many of the Caribbean’s rum distilleries as possible and reporting what we discover what the rum situation is like at each island. Not only is rum great to drink, it is a huge part of the history of these islands. From the very first settlers, it is still a major part of each islands economy.

We are using a book we recently discovered, ‘Rums of the eastern Caribbean’ written by fellow cruiser Edward Hamilton who sailed thru these islands on his boat, sampling all these delicious rums while he wrote his guide. He is also know as the ‘Minister of Rum’ by fellow cruisers as he has quite a supply of rum aboard and he holds tasting nights with fellow cruisers in whatever anchorage he happens to drop his hook in.

A brief lesson on where rum comes from and why it is so popular here in the Caribbean: Sugar Cane is grown throughout the Caribbean which is harvested and then run thru a crusher that squeezes out all the juice.  The juice is then collected and made into sugar that is exported all over the world. What is left is molasses. This molasses still has a small amount of sugar left in it. It is left to ferment, then distilled into delicious rum.

Some of this is sold as white rum. Or it is left to age in recycled whiskey barrels from America,  which turns the rum into a golden color. Once this is judged to be of proper age it is bottled as aged rum, or mixed with local spices and sold as spiced rum.

Barbados was established in 1627 and had 120 drinking houses in Bridgetown alone! Rum was first known as ‘Kill Devil’, a hot and horrible liquor. The largest distillery on the island is also the oldest in the world, ‘Mount Gay’, that started business in 1663!! We were fortunate to drop by the distillery for a tour and tasting while visiting the island.

There we learned that Mt. Gay is a sponsor of many regattas around the world. And if you’re a participant you receive a red Mt. Gay ball cap. This is the only way to receive their cap. If you wear your cap to the distillery then you are given a ‘special’ treat. Since we are already planning our next visit to Barbados, it looks like we will need to find a regatta first.

Barbados also has Cockspur Rum that was founded in 1884, West Indies Rum Distillery that was founded 1893 and several smaller distilleries.

Barbados is NOT for the recovering alcoholic as the island is covered with drinking establishments called ‘Rum Shops’. Some of these are large bars. But most are so small that only two persons can sit inside. Others are just small huts where one just stands outside. In order to be a true rum shop, the establishment has to have a rum number issued by Mt. Gay, as this is the official rum on the island. There are hundreds of these all over the island, and mostly this is where the locals come to drink. Most locals have a neighborhood rum shop near their house where they come to drink in the afternoons, much like a local pub back home.

Our favorite haunt, ‘Red Man Bar’, is just a short swim from Sandpiper. It is a bar for tourists from the cruise ships during the afternoons. In the evenings when the tourist have returned to their ships, it becomes a rum shop for the locals, ‘Team Sandpiper” included.

The most affordable way for the locals to drink at a rum bar is order a bottle of rum. You get a Coke bottle full of Mount Gay Rum, a large bowl of ice, and a pitcher of water. You then fill your cup with ice, as much rum as you need, and a little water. The code in the rum shops is that once you open your rum then it is fair game for anyone else to grab some of your bottle. Or if your bottle is empty and someone else opens a bottle, then you grab his.

While indulging in this local pastime one evening and sharing stories of our travels we had mentioned how much Australians love their beer. We were quickly schooled that this view needed to change. So now we say Bajan’s love their rum.

Barbados is a bit laid back when it comes to enforcing any laws for anyone whom has consumed too much rum and is running around in public. On one of our many nights at the Red Man Bar we met a large Barbados man that had spent his entire afternoon at the bar drinking rum. It was already quite apparent by his slurring speech. While he was telling us his many stories a couple of cruise ship tourists walk by. He yells out to them, much to our disbelief, “Need Taxi Mon??” He was on the clock with his taxi looking for passengers to take back to their ship. And he was having a hard time just talking to us, less drive some tourist safely back to their ship.

Luckily for them they declined the ride back. Laughing at the situation I asked one of my new friends if this guy was going to get in his car and drive around. He told me that there are no laws in Barbados against drinking and driving. There had been a rash of accidents around the island due to so many people driving around full of rum. So a group had been formed to force the government to take action. The Minister of Tourism gave a report on the front page of the Barbados newspaper saying that there was no way that they were going to let the police take action as it might cut into tourism!!!

The taxi driver then told me that drinking rum improves his vision, and that the more he drink, the better driver he is. This was confirmed to me weeks later in yet another rum shop where one of the local ex pats told me that the problem on the island wasn’t people drinking to much and then driving. It was the sober drivers that were causing all the accidents on the island because the sober drivers were out of sync with all the other drivers on the road.