Time flies when you’re having rum

There is something both refreshing and satisfying when sipping your favourite rum, sitting back and just taking in the world.

Rum, like whiskey, is so diverse. You can even travel to India and find rum being made there I discovered…..hmmmm my favourite still stems from the Caribbean. Yours?

So if you are a rum enthusiast popping along to one of the rum factories in Grenada is well worth a visit. At the River Antoine distillery, in the parish of St Patrick, you will be taken back in time with its over 250 year old equipment as you discover how your little tipple is being made. The oldest rum distillery in Grenada ranks #7 of 112 things to do on the island on #tripadvisor.

So as you step back in time at the River Antoine Estate, established in 1785, and take in the scent of raw sugar cane being processed you’ll discover the old school but effective way rum is made here – same way as back in the 1700s. Vintage baby!

Did you know it also has the oldest functioning water mill in the Caribbean powered by the local river?!

So just how do they make their rum I here you say?

Well they take the cane from the field, grind it, crush it and take the juice from that. The juice gets put it into the boilers and boiled for quite a while until it turns into a dark brown syrup. It then gets fermented allowing the wild yeast to sit on top of this syrup – I’m told it’s the Grenadian yeast in the air that does its magic.

Once it comes off the fermentation it’s a little bit alcoholic. So it then gets boiled again in vats allowing it to condense which then hey presto delivers you your rum.

After your tour you’ll get to taste three varieties of their rum including Rivers Royale Grenadian Rum 75%: The oldest and highest proof they make – full of cane flavour and naturally sweet! And no you can’t take it on the plane I’m afraid.

There is a slightly less potent one which you can actually take on the plane – Rivers Royale Grenadian Rum 69%.

Verdict of both? They are both very strong and have an intense flavour – not for the faint hearted. If you like your rum sweet and smooth this may not be the rum for you.

Regardless the tour was well worth it and gave me more of an appreciation for this sugary concoction and all the work that goes into it.

There are a couple of other rum brands that rocked my world more so than The Rivers one in Grenada.

The Westerhall rums are a smoother type of rums and the ones to try are the Westerhall Dark rum aged 7 years, the Westerhall Jack Iron – watch out this one is a creeper and Westerhall Rum No.10.

If you‘re more of a mixer kinda person then check out the Clarke’s court range specifically the Lèmon rum which goes perfectly with coke and a little ice.

Whatever you do don’t make the mistake of tasting locally brewed rum at the beach. It will make your head shout.

With rum being as important as water on the island you can buy different varieties all over. If you are the type of person who loves a good discount then try out this little cash and carry shop on Wharf road at the Carenage in St George’s.