The powerful
River Antoine Distillery Rum has been a favorite brew on the island of Grenada since
1785. This wonderful rum is made from fresh
sugar cane pressed in the water wheel driven press out behind the
distillery. The rum is distilled in wood
fire heated double thumper pot stills. Production of the crystal-clear brew dates
to 1785 and production is powered by a waterwheel - brought over at that time when
the British were in control of the island and still producing rum today. |
| River Antoine Water Wheel |
It's the oldest working waterwheel in the
Caribbean and, possibly, the world. The distillation process begins with raw
sugar cane, crushed so that the sugary juice can then be left to ferment in
huge vats. It’s then transferred to a
giant copper still, and heated over a wooden fire so the liquid boils and then
condenses before being drawn off to create a rum that is, staggeringly, up to
89 per cent alcohol by volume.
 |
| River High Proof Rums |
But it packs a punch so powerful, the
authorities say it’s simply too strong to travel. This is because of the
highly flammable nature of the liquid the airlines require Hazardous Material
papers to transport. Airline
regulations mean the famous bottles of rum breach regulations which state that
alcohol levels of over 70 per cent ABV are a danger
of catching fire should the bottle brake.
 |
| Legal to Travel Overproof Rums |
This is not only a problem leaving from
Grenada. Any bottle of rum over 140
proof has the same issue. There are a
lot of 120 to 130 proof rums out there that can legally travel back home with
you without the danger of highly flammable spirits. Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Trinidad, Barbados,
Martinique, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic,
Haiti and others all produce overproof rums in the safe to travel range. Most
of the time the extra strong rums are for dares rather than regular cocktails,
Moonshine is what they are approaching in strength.
