Welcome to Part Two of my look at Trinidadian Rum and Angostura, the last remaining rum producer on Trinidad. In Part One, I reviewed Trinidad’s background and role in Caribbean rum history. I also provided key details about Trinidad’s three primary 20th century rum producers: Caroni, Fernandes, and Angostura, and how Angostura became Trinidad’s sole... Continue Reading →
Talking Rum with John Georges, Angostura’s Master Distiller
In December of 2019 I visited Trinidad as a guest of Angostura. There, I met John Georges, Angostura’s recently retired Master Distiller. Georges had a front row seat for rum history over the last four decades, and I was privileged to spend several days picking his brain about all sorts of topics. As fellow engineers... Continue Reading →
The Age of Angostura – Part One
You might think what follows is yet another story about Angostura Bitters. Sure, the iconic skinny bottle with the over-sized white label is as essential as shaker tins in cocktail bars around the globe. Hands stained red from the Trinidadian-made bitters are a sure sign of a professional bartender. And of course, there’s the story... Continue Reading →
How the Financial Crisis of 2007 Reshaped the Rum World
In the course of researching various rum-related topics, there’s some recent history that I keep bumping up against. Between 1997 and 2006, one company purchased several extremely important rum companies such as Angostura and Appleton. It also acquired a few other well known spirits brands. It then went bankrupt during the world financial crisis that... Continue Reading →