the rum story

With 68 sugarcane plantations on 68 square miles, it was inevitable that rum, made from sugarcane indigenous to St Kitts, would evolve into an important industry in its own right.

In the 1600s, producers learned that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process could be fermented into alcohol. More than 400 years later, rum still plays an important role in Kittian life.

Brinley Rum is known for its variety. The coffee, lime, vanilla, mango, coconut and island spice are perfect for sipping and mixing. Locals who own a piece of St Kitts real estate often make a rum cake with vanilla rum, a sauce for fish with the lime or drizzle the coffee on top of some ice cream.

Belmont Rum whose slogan “white and gold go straight to the soul”, and Rum St Kitts also make rum on the island. In addition several of the beach bars will provide moonshine rum produced by individuals with homemade stills.

Although rum is as popular on St. Kitts and Nevis as it is throughout the Caribbean, the national drink is actually Cane Spirits Rothschild (often abbreviated to CSR), distilled from fresh sugar cane.