Bottle Your Own Rum in Nevis – It Has Your Name On It!
Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about vacationing in the Caribbean – Thoughts that inevitably include warm weather, the gorgeous Caribbean Sea, sand between your toes, and a rum beverage in hand? If so, you’re not alone… and I’m sure you’ll agree that no Caribbean Island vacation is complete without visiting a local rum-making facility. So the next time you’re in the Leeward Islands’ Saint Kitts & Nevis, be sure to find your way to the Clifton Estate Rum Company on the small island of Nevis. If you’ve never heard of this Caribbean gem before, it’s a lush green volcanic island that happens to be the birthplace and childhood home of Alexander Hamilton, the face on the American ten-dollar bill.
Our trip began with a pleasurable visit to L&L Rum Shop with Mark Theron, the man behind Nevis’ great little store as well as Clifton Estate Spiced Rum. We were fortunate enough to be invited to a behind-the-scenes look at the Clifton Estate Rum Company with Mark. Arriving at their facility, located in a wooded lot just south of the island’s capital, Charlestown, we were welcomed by a Clifton Estate Rum branded pergola fronting a couple of unassuming buildings.
We started our tour in their warehouse and blending facility – After all, this is where the magic happens. Mark explained the different stages of their rum blending and filtration process while showing us the tanks, vats and equipment that make it all possible. Clifton Estate Spiced Rum starts life as a 2-year-old rum sourced from nearby Antigua before it is masterfully blended with a delightful combination of ‘warming’ Caribbean spices along with a touch of fresh orange and real honey. Due to increased demand for the company’s products, the building is being expanded to allow for increased production and storage. From the tanks on the top shelf of the rum mixing area, the final blend flows through a pipe to the bottling room in a separate building next door.
It is in this room that the amber liquid is deposited into bottles, which are then labelled, capped, and boxed up for distribution. Speaking of bottles – Clifton Estate Spiced Rum is packaged in a unique bottle in the form of a barrel, complete with planks and rivets! I’ve seen some cool-shaped bottles in my time, however nothing captures the essence and history of rum like this does. From start to finish, the creation of Clifton Estate Spiced Rum is a ‘hand-made’ affair, with very few hands involved in the process. This is the epitome of small-batch artisanal rum making. A place where they really care about their brand and end-product.
When they are not bottling their latest batch of spirits, this room doubles as the blending/mixing lab where Mark develops future concoctions for the Clifton Estate Rum Company. When we visited, it looked like a mad scientist had been hard at work, with several hand-labelled bottles denoting various ages and mixtures. Mark was excited to tell us about one product being crafted whose foundation is a 5 yr old rum aged in a Jack Daniels barrel. I can’t wait to try that one!
We then went into the Clifton Estate showroom for further discussion, a few samples of rum, and an amazing and unique experience that would be the climax of our day, not to mention one of the highlights of our vacation. We started by sampling the award-winning Clifton Estate Spiced Rum, which is aptly known as “a taste of Nevis in a barrel”!
For a relatively young rum, it was surprisingly delicious. I love the rum’s rich golden colour and its appetizing aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and candied orange peel. Tasting Clifton Estate Spiced Rum, I found the flavour brimming with warming spices and a touch of honey. While it tingled on my tongue a little, I was amazed at the absence of a harsh burn. Good stuff – Mellow and flavourful enough to drink straight-up. That said, Mark suggested alternative ways to enjoy Clifton Estate Spiced Rum including drinking it with a splash of coconut water or with a drop of orange bitters in a rum and coke. I’ll be trying both of them for sure.
Popular with local restaurants and bars in St. Kitts & Nevis, the Clifton Estates Rum Company continues to capture the “Spirit of Nevis” with their Moko Jumbie brand of Gold and Silva rum. Once again, considerable thought and effort have been put into the presentation of this rum as it is packaged in a gorgeous, frosted bottle with silhouettes of ghost-like characters etched into the side – Images that invoke the annual St. Kitts & Nevis’ Sugar Mas Carnival, where dancers don the traditional costume of the Moko Jumbie, a ghost with healing powers. The company also creates and bottles single-run batches of “specialty” rums of various ages and blends for upscale clients like hotels and bars looking for something unique to celebrate special occasions. For those looking for a more casual pre-mixed beverage, the Clifton Estate Rum Company also produces a Lemongrass & Ginger “Tropical Punch”, utilizing their Moko Jumbie Gold rum as the base of course.
While rum is Mark’s passion, the company is branching out, also producing an exclusive vodka-based beverage handcrafted in Nevis.
Their flagship vodka-based product is NEVIQ Tropical Liqueur and it’s really something to behold, as well as taste! The bright blue concoction contains a captivating silver swirl that you have to see to believe. Similar to their rum-making process, they source high-quality spirits, this time from the USA, blending it with tropical fruit flavours before filtering it and adding the special “shimmer” ingredient. Sipping the wild concoction, I found notes of passion fruit while the taste profile evolved on my tongue, moving from tangy to sweet… Very yummy indeed!
Clifton Estate has also begun the development of a cannabis-infused red wine beverage that will be ready to hit the shelves once the righteous plant becomes fully legal in St. Kitts & Nevis. Our conversation continued over a variety of shots. I loved hearing about Mark’s passion for crafting innovative products on the island of Nevis. I especially appreciate his ambition to distill his own rum on the premises, ideally utilizing Nevis-grown cane sugar, which was once known to be the finest of the Caribbean. With access to some of the most fertile land in the islands, coupled with his growing presence in the rum industry, Mark is definitely on the right track with this aspiration. In just over 5 years the Clifton Estate Rum Company has proven their rum-making prowess, extraordinary creativity in designing alluring bottles and labels, and have also created and produced a number of sensationally original products. With his enthusiastic drive and industry connections, I’m looking forward to seeing what Mark can accomplish in the next 5-10 years.
Oh right.., back to the Clifton Estate bottling experience… While I was captivated by the swirling stardust in the bottle of NEVIQ, Mark was busy engraving our names on a couple of their signature bottles. When they were ready for us, we took turns filling our own personalized bottles with the ‘elixir of life’ from a special mini-keg of Clifton Estate Spiced Rum.
Once full, we corked our little barrels of liquid gold then dipped the necks into hot wax, elegantly sealing the bottle and completing the rum bottling experience. Oh man, that was fun! So, not only do we end up with a great bottle of rum to enjoy, but we now possess unique souvenirs and showpieces for our rum collection – A valuable keepsake from our trip to Nevis.
Not to be left out, you too can enjoy this rum bottling experience for yourselves. The next time you’re planning a trip to Saint Kitts and Nevis, reach out to Mark via Marks Rum Tasting or email L&L Rum Shop at lnlrumshop@gmail.com. Alternatively, you can also join a Nevis Rum Tasting Experience tour with Nevis Sun Tours. For us, we felt that the rum bottling was a very special, personal, and interactive experience – A must-do for any and all rum enthusiasts for sure!
FYI – Clifton Estate products are available at grocery stores, bars and restaurants across St. Kitts and Nevis. Outside the Caribbean, the Clifton Estate Rum Company has recently accessed the US market, with some availability of Clifton Estate Spiced Rum and NEVIQ in Florida and New York State (coming in 2022). Folks in the UK and Europe won’t have long to wait either, as distribution is being finalized for availability in 2022 as well. To keep up to date, check out the Clifton Estate Rum Company website for more info.
If you’re interested in reading more about rum, check out our Caribbean Rum page and our St. Kitts & Nevis Rum page, which includes a list of Tour Operators who will get you sampling SKN’s finest.
For an overview of the beautiful “Sister islands”, take a look at our St. Kitts & Nevis Vacations page
For other great Tourist Attractions on the islands, check out our Things to Do in St. Kitts & Nevis blog
If you’re looking for more ‘active’ things to do while vacationing in St. Kitts & Nevis, click on our SKN Adventures blog post for some great ideas!
ACT Staff
