Guyana raises a glass to its first official rum route

BY JANIECE CAMPBELL

Rum.  A joyful drink produced by distilled sugarcane or molasses that gives you a sensation reminiscent to being at home just after one sip. With a widespread variance of tastes and aromatic essences, no Caribbean occasion is complete without a bottle or two.

The Guyana Tourism Authority has launched an official rum route in partnership with the Caribbean Tourism Organization. Besides the thrilling experience of a voyage spanning over 200 kilometres, the route exemplifies Guyana’s rich agriculture and local cuisine. “Set along the vibrant coast, the route offers a sensory experience of the role of rum and sugarcane in Guyana’s economy and its indelible mark on the landscape and people,” said Brian Mullis, Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority.

Guyana is the first Caribbean country to establish a heritage route of this kind. “This program is centered on creating thematic routes or trails, that tell the story of a destination through indigenous and local goods including foods like: sugarcane, cocoa, spices and other tangible and intangible aspects of cultural heritage,” says Neil Walters, Acting Secretary General and CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The new rum route covers three areas that can be explored individually as day or night tours, or combined into a multi-day tour as well. The tour sites include Georgetown, Berbice and the East Coast Highway; West Coast Berbice and West Coast of Demerara.

Between visiting local rum shops and sampling rum-infused recipes, travellers can expect to learn the history of rum through the exploration of former plantations such as the Uitvlugt Estate and Blairmont Estate. They will also gain insight into the experiences of slaves and indentured labourers who sustained the sugar economy for over two centuries.

The story of rum in Guyana dates back to the 1600s, with the introduction of sugar cane by early European settlers. With the cultivation of sugar cane along the tropical coastal plains and riverbanks, it wasn’t long before sugar was being produced and shipped to Europe. The rum breakthrough came once British planters presented the process of distillation. It is a technique of selective boiling and condensation that became so popular that by 1670, every sugar estate had a small still attached to it. By the 1700s, no fewer than 384 distilleries could be counted throughout the country.

As one of the earliest countries to harvest sugar, it was one of the largest sugar suppliers to the British throne. Demerara sugar was much sought after due to the rich sweetness of the sugarcane from the fields along the Demerara River. It became a key ingredient in rum production.

The practice of rum crafting is one that embodies complexity and character. Following a 26-hour fermentation process, the sugary alcohol content is distilled, which is eventually condensed to form liquid rum. The rums are then poured into 45-gallon oak barrels. Contact with the oak wood causes its golden to deep brown colour and enhanced wooden flavour. Some rum is left to age for as much as thirty years.

Today, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) – located on the site of the Diamond Distillery Estate – is the sole rum producer in Guyana. El Dorado – an award-winning brand of rum (previously rated to be the best in the world at the International Wine and Spirit Competition) is one of many products manufactured by DDL. The liquor blends notes of dark brown sugar with bourbon oak. It continues to deliver a delicious true taste of Guyana.

Over the course of 300 years, a dark and warm tropical spirit heavily rooted in colonialism has become the fuel for Caribbean celebration. Whether served neat or on the rocks, through the endless amount of robust flavours and sweet aromas it possesses, rum has a unique ability to culturally connect all of the islands.