It is no hidden secret that the Caribbean region is rum central for the world. Tucked away in the shadows of huge distilleries like Bacardi and Brugal are small-batch rum makers using time-honored traditions and ultra-pure ingredients. Some of these small distilleries don’t even make enough product to export.
On a recent trip to Grenada, Mark Rogers of USA Today, traversed across the island’s local roads in search of a first hand experience of River Antoine rum, a distillery so small it cannot even produce to meet local demand. “This lends a mystique to their rum, which inspires travelers to seek out their high-demand, low-availability spirits” explains Mark. It was at River Antoine that Mark was introduced to a rum so high in proof that it is not permitted on planes.
At River Antoine Rum Distillery it’s easy to imagine you’ve been transported back to the colonial era, since traditional methods still hold sway at the facility. Unlike most period attractions in the Caribbean, this one hasn’t been prettied up for visitors; this is a functioning distillery employing 80 people.
Like most rum tours, River Antoine culminates in a tasting. I was offered four varieties, and suggest ending with the fieriest – the 150 over-proof River Antoine Royal Grenadian Rum. River Antoine Royal Grenadian Rum is so powerful it’s not allowed on airplanes since it’s considered a combustible liquid. So enjoy it at your leisure while on Grenada — chances are you’ll have no trouble remembering the experience, even if you can’t bring a bottle home.
“Most Grenadians drink it neat,” says Roger Augustine, owner of Grenada-based Ambassador Tours & Taxi. “It doesn’t give you a hangover. I liken it to an organic orange. You take such an orange — you don’t peel it — you cut it in half. It’s full of juice. There’s a touch of bitterness from the peel. River rum is like that. Pure.
Small batch-distilleries come in numbers throughout the Caribbean giving travelers, rum aficionados and tourists alike plenty of options to explore. From the Shillingford Estate, Dominica to The Distillerie J.M, Martinique – there are seemingly endless treasures to discover in this region of the world.
