St Vincent and the Grenadines / Rum

In the northern part of St Vincent, about 21 miles from Kingstown on the east coast, lies St Vincent Distillers which has produced rum since the early 1900s. The most popular rum product in St Vincent is the Sunset Very Strong Rum, which contains 84.5% alcohol by volume. It is often wisely blended with other ingredients to produce punch, however some locals do drink it straight, chased by a cool glass of water or soda. Sunset Premium Rum and Captain Bligh Golden Rum are both award-winning dark spirits and the Sunset Rum Punch is a popular ready mix available throughout the Caribbean.

You might come across two other local rums with interesting qualities. Bois bande (pronounced bawbandy) is supposed to be an aphrodisiac, while Jack Iron is an extremely strong rum that is distilled in Trinidad. Officially it is illegal in most Caribbean islands, but nonetheless it is popular in Carriacou particularly. It is disarming because it is one of the few liquids in which ice sinks.