If someone asked you what do you think of when you hear the word “Caribbean”, there are several things that would come to mind. Sunshine, turquoise sea, white sand, reggae music and…. Rum.
This morning the Queen Elizabeth was due to dock in Castries, St. Lucia, and Trevor went out on the balcony about 6.00am to watch her progress into port. On the way, she passed the two iconic peaks, Les Pitons, probably the most famous landmark of the island.
This morning we were going on a half-day excursion which would include a visit to a rum distillery with unlimited tasting! We had done this trip before, nine years ago on Braemar, so I already knew which St. Lucia rum we were going to buy – the smooth-tasting Chairman’s Reserve. 🙂
After breakfast therefore, we gathered together our stuff and headed for the meeting point ashore. My knees were bruised and my back was still a little stiff after falling yesterday, but I’d taken some Ibuprofen which would hopefully kick in soon. I had found that my back became worse after sitting for two long; walking helped loosen it up a lot.
The coach set off along the picturesque coastal route, the coruscating Caribbean sea never far away and the route lined with lush greenery and tall palm trees. It was idyllic.
Our first visit was to a batik fabric printing place. We realised we had visited this place last time we were here. The plain fabric is coated in a wax, which had areas removed, before being dipped in the dye. The wax prevented the dye reaching some places, which was how the pattern is built up. The building had a walkway running around the outside which afforded us fantastic views of the tropical landscape. It was just a pity that it had started to rain again, washing some of the colour from the view.
In the shop, we looked at some of the batik fabric clothes, hats and bags, which were very expensive, so we didn’t buy anything.
Next, we went to wood-carving centre. We were shown the type of wood that was used, in particular the roots of the tree, to create sculptures, wooden tribal masks and unusual, elegant shapes. The sculptures were quite large and heavy, and I would have imagined they would cost as much to ship to the UK as the sculpture itself. So we didn’t buy anything there, either. 🙂
Back on the coach a party atmosphere prevailed, everyone in high spirits and looking forward to the rum tasting. 🙂
Soon we arrived at the distillery, and as we alighted from the coach we caught the whiff of molasses and oak barrels. Our guide met us, a smiley girl with her hair in braids. She showed us around and explained how much of the spirit distilling is still done in big copper ‘pot stills’. We could see tanks and pipes and these big, distinctive stills and in here the scent of burnt sugar and spirit and barrels was stronger. We knew already (from previous visits!) that rum is made largely from molasses, a by-product of sugar processing, although some rum is actually produced from fermented sugar-cane juice. Like other spirits such as whisky, the pure distillate is a clear colour, and it gains its colour from maturing in barrels that have previously held sherry, port or red wine.
Once we had looked around the distillation plant, we went outside into the spice garden. This contained shrubs of the different types of spices used in the spiced rum varieties. From here, I could see huge tanks with the word “MOLASSES” on them in capital letters. As I took a picture, a lady from our coach looked at me and said “I’m not going to bother taking any photos. I’m not sure I agree with all this alcohol!” I smiled at her. “Oh, I do!”, I laughed. She pursed her lips. “Do you? Personally I think it’s the ruination of the nation!” she said. “Oh, come on” I rejoined, “We’re living in a bad, tough old world that is just getting badder and tougher. Can you really blame people if they like a bit of relaxation and escapism from time to time?” The woman didn’t reply, but just looked at me disapprovingly.
When I related the conversation to Trevor, who was standing nearby, he said “Why on earth has she come to a rum distillery then, if she doesn’t approve?” I agreed – miserable old bat!
After our guide had rounded us all up from the spice garden, we went into a room to watch a short film about the distillery, its history and the types of rums it sells. Then it was the moment we’d been waiting for… the tasting. 🙂
We entered a room with a long table that had 22 different types of rums and rum liqueurs lined up, and we wondered how many of the 22 we would get through. There were stacks of plastic tasting cups at intervals along the table; each cup held 25ml, or one tot. We started off at the strong end of the table, which contained the white and dark rums of 80 proof and above (i.e. 40% ABV) and made our way slowly towards the less-strong end, those liqueurs of about 12% ABV. One of the rums was 160 proof – yes, 160 proof – which meant it was 80% pure alcohol. I only had a tiny taste of that one, I didn’t want to burn the lining of my stomach!
We came to the distillery’s flagship rum, the fabulous Chairman’s Reserve Original, which was just as mellow and smooth as I remembered it. Then we tried coffee rum, pineapple rum, spiced rum, coconut rum and others. The ones we liked best, we went back for seconds. We also tried the creamy liqueurs I remembered from the last time we were here, such as the peanut rum, which didn’t seem as nice this time around. We settled for a bottle of Chairman’s Reserve, and also bought a little 50ml bottle for a rum-loving friend our ours back home.
Soon our guide started to make noises that it was time for us all to get back on the coach. We quickly used the restrooms, and washed our sticky rummy residue off our hands from all the tasting. Then we boarded the coach along with the other people who had made this trip. Everyone was happy and chatty on the ride back to the cruise port.
Trevor and I weren’t ready to go back on board yet, however. We spotted a little bar that had a board outside offering “Piton Beer and Rum Punch” for $5.00. Loud reggae music was playing as we entered, and sat on a couple of stools at the bar. 🙂
The beer was cold and delicious, and the rum punch was fruity and ice-filled. We enjoyed the ambience in the bar and the music and we stayed for two more beers and rum punches each. This was great! The laid-back atmosphere, the reggae rhythm, the hot weather, the cold beer – this is the Caribbean! 🙂
It was around 1.30pm when we left the bar and made our way back to the ship, just in nice time for a light lunch.
Afterwards, we decided to have a hot-sun-and-cold-beer induced power nap. Then we sat out on our balcony for a while, watching the world go by. This is something we never tire of on a cruise. 🙂
Soon it was time to start getting washed and changed and ready for dinner once again. We took our places at table #503, where Mervyn and Alice were already seated. From our window table we were able to see when Queen Elizabeth let go of her lines and slowly moved away from the dockside.
Once again, we enjoyed an excellent meal in convivial company, before heading for the Queen’s Room to listen to the band and watch the ballroom dancers. Then it was along to the Royal Court Theatre and our usual front-row seats for tonight’s show, featuring the West End singer Marty Thomas and the violinist Gary Lovini in a superb double-bill, both accompanied by the talented musicians of the ship’s orchestra. The entertainment so far has been excellent.
After the show, I felt quite tired and wanted a bit of peace and quiet. So, while Trevor went along to the Golden Lion, I returned to 8025 and sat out on our balcony with my feet up, enjoying the sultry night air as I read my book.
When Trevor returned, he joined me for a short while, and we sat and looked up at the stars, and enjoyed the sounds of the Caribbean Sea washing gently against the side of the Queen Elizabeth.
Then we settled down in our large bed after another great day; we will really not have to leave it another nine years before we next visit the Caribbean. 🙂