Rum Regions: Trinidad

Trinidad Rum is a bit of an enigma. While often mentioned in the same breath as Jamaican, Barbadian and Guyanese rum, the style of rum Trinidad makes today is substantially different than the others. Furthermore, its most highly sought-after rum hasn’t been made for two decades.

Early Trinidad Rum

When the wave of European colonization first came to the Caribbean in the 1500s, the Spanish held Trinidad for two centuries. While sugarcane agriculture in neighboring Tobago flourished early, Trinidad’s sugar industry didn’t start in earnest until the late 1700s, shortly before the British took control of the island. Trinidad’s new overseers rapidly spread sugarcane estates and rum distilleries across the island’s western region.

Trinidad was only a mid-tier rum producer during the 1800s, making substantially less rum than the rum-making powerhouses of Barbados, Jamaica, and Demerara (British Guiana). In fact, Trinidad’s most famous export from the late 1800s onward was Angostura Bitters. However, the foundation of those bitters was quite likely Trinidad-distilled rum.

Trinidad Rum In the 20th Century

Trinidadian rum came into its own in the 20th century, and three household name rum brands emerged within 30 years: Caroni, Fernandes, and Angostura.

Caroni was the first to start production in 1918, using a variety of distillation equipment to make both light, column rum and heavy pot still rum. The distillery gained a very significant customer in Britains’s Royal Navy when Caroni rum was integrated into the navy’s rum blend.

Joseph Bento (“Jo”) Fernandes entered the rum business in the 1920s, buying and blending rum for sale. In the 1930s, he acquired the defunct Forres Park sugar factory and rum distillery and started distilling for his rum brands. Fernandes later built a new distillery on the outskirts of Port of Spain, and by 1970, 85 percent of the rum sold on Trinidad was made by Fernandes.

In 1947, Angostura jumped all the way into rum, building a distillery to make rum for its bitters and supply the company’s various rum brands. The distillery is an Angostura subsidiary named Trinidad Distillers Limited, aka TDL. In 1973, Angostura entered a three-way deal with Fernandes and Bacardi. Angostura purchased Fernandes’ operations and brands, and Bacardi purchased a 40 percent stake in the newly merged TDL/Fernandes operation.

Bacardi later sold its shares in the combined operation, and Angostura is once again entirely Trinidad-owned. IN 1997, Angostura formally launched Angostura branded rum brand, although several of Fernandes‘ original brands continue to be made and sold by Angostura as well.

As the 21st century dawned, the Caroni distillery took its last breath. Trinidad’s government had previously taken ownership of the sugar and rum operations in 1975 to keep them operating. Unfortunately, various turnaround plans, including a partial sale of the distillery to Angostura, did not come to fruition. Caroni stopped making rum in 2003, and the remaining stock of 18,000 casks was sold off piecemeal to various bidders, including the Main Rum Company and various independent bottlers. It is believed that Angostura was given the first opportunity to select casks and purchased many of the prime offerings.

Elements of Trinidad Rum Style Today

It is difficult to describe Trinidad’s rum style succinctly. One must consider both Angostura’s current output and the ever-diminishing supply of Caroni; they are quite different.

Angostura’s blend of light- and medium-weight column distilled rum hews closer to that of Spanish-heritage producers rather than the heavy rums of Jamaica and Guyana. However, in the high-end enthusiast realm, Caroni’s heavy, oily, phenolic rums are what usually come to mind.

Regardless of your preferences for Trinidad-made rum, the island has more than earned its place among the world’s great rum-producing locales.

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