Haiti occupies the smaller Western part of the Island of Hispaniola (the island is shared with the Dominican Republic. Despite this Haiti is the most populated full-member state in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). It is famous for exports of cotton clothing, coffee, mangoes and to a lesser degree r(h)um.
Tag Archives: Rum
Mount Gay Black Barrel was new to the UK Market in 2014. More Traditional Mount Gay drinkers bemoaned the addition of this new rum. Not only did it come complete with the newer “Mount Gay 1703 Barbados Rum” presentation but it also replaced the Eclipse Black which was bottled at 50% ABV.
Plantation’s line of rums are multi award winning and feature regularly at events around the world. They are a very active, if relatively new player (if we trace rum back to 1703 certainly) in the rum world.
Plantation are to all intents and purposes an independent bottler. However, such is their status and presence within the rum community they have perhaps passed over into the rum mainstream. It should be remembered they do have the backing and are part of Cognac-Ferrand.
Banks 5 Island Blend Rum hails from the hotbed of rum producers – Singapore. It is bottled by the Joseph Banks Rums Corporation PTE, Ltd. I’m not sure who Joseph Banks is but I bet there is a story behind him somewhere…….
Strangely the website does not have a story relating to some swashbuckling pirate or buccaneer from centuries ago. It merely states that the rum is produced as a labour of love by the Joseph Banks Rum Company. Further reading reveals that Joseph Banks was an 18th century explorer and botanist.
Papa’s Pilar “Never a Spectator”. Pilar was the name of a customised boat commissioned by Papa – Ernest Hemingway. If you don’t know who Ernest Hemingway is then you can either visit the rum’s 
Westerhall Estate is situated on the Caribbean Island of Grenada. Since its inception it has existed in various guises. Presently Westerhall Estate blend and bottle their range of 6 rums.
Prior to this the estate has been an agricultural estate farming bananas, coconuts, limes and cocoa. It has also processed sugar cane, at one point it even had its own small distillery.
Another independent bottling up for review this time a Port Morant Demerara Rum from English bottlers Bristol Classic Rum. Rather than bore you all with yet another monologue about Demerara Distillers Ltd/Diamond Distillery I will instead focus on the possibly incorrect labelling of this rum.
In both Guyana and Jamaica there are towns called Port Mourant (Jamaica) and Port Morant (Guyana). In times gone by both these towns have lent their names to Rum Estates/Distilleries. In more recent times the Guyana version of Port Morant is, as well as a town now a name given to a double wooden pot still taken from the Port Morant Estate.