Some intriguing rums from the Nature Isle
A couple of notes about Dominica rum. First, ‘cask rum’ is very popular on the island. The major rum producers of Dominica sell rum straight from the cask – locals bring/fill their own bottles, sometimes adding spices themselves like cinnamon or rosemary. Second, an extract of the bark of the Richeria-Grandis tree, commonly referred to as ‘Bois Bandé’ is commonly used to spice Dominica rum – Bois Bandé is known to have aphrodisiac properties 😉
Located near the west coast town of Mero, the Macoucherie Rum Distillery is still making rum the old fashioned way, with home-grown sugar cane juice and mostly French ‘rhum agricole’ methods. Recently, their products have included: Elixir of Bois Bandé (spiced with bois bandé, nutmeg & cinnamon); a couple of lightly aged rums (PrimeStar is actually made from molasses, not cane juice); and five white/gold rums (one made from molasses, one a combination of cane juice / molasses).
A little further south, another Dominica rum producer is the Belfast Distillery. They use ‘fermented sugar’ to produce a spiced rum called Bois Bandé (AKA The Power Shot), Overproof and some lightly aged rums: Soca Light, Soca Gold and Red Cap.
Like most Caribbean islands, Dominica also has their share of “bush rums”, known locally as ‘Mountain Dew’ – They are not recommended. Another important note is that if you see “Bay Rum” for sale on Dominica, it’s not actually rum, but rather after-shave lotion, or some other toiletry made from the leaves of the West Indian Bay tree.
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