Paul's Spirited Travel
Barbados Rum Experience Recap - Part 2
(continued from last month)
As the sun rose on our fourth day of the Barbados Rum Experience, my tour group traveled to the Foursquare Rum Distillery. Led in tandem by Foursquare Global Brand Ambassador Gayle Seale and Richard Seale, our tour began with a discussion about the history of the property and its role in the history of the many brands historically offered on the island. While the Seale family has been involved in rum production for four generations, since the 1800s, it was not until Reginald Leon Seale founded a rum blending company in 1926 that they established their place firmly in the island’s rum history. The company has been passed down through four generations and has evolved from a rum blending operation to a fully operational rum distillery in 1996. Currently, Clarence David Seale serves as Chairman, while Richard Seale is Foursquare’s CEO, distiller, and blender. It was the vision of these two men that transformed the family business into the global brands for which Foursquare products are known today. During our tour, we visited all aspects of the distillery, from molasses storage, fermentation tanks, to the pot and column stills, barrel houses, and blending and bottling lines. Our tour also took us to the Copper Still Bar, where we were guided through a tasting of Foursquare products and were able to purchase them in the adjoining shop. After we returned to the hotel, my tour group enjoyed a free afternoon before the evening activities. I spent the time enjoying the beach and watching the sunset, savoring the downtime before our last day of seminars.
The Rum Barbados Experience
The fifth and final official day of the BRE was the last day of full seminar programming. Dr. Geoff Ward kicked the day off with a lively discussion about the Barbados water system, the limestone that is essential to it, and how the geography of the island historically created its cities and centers of trade during the colonization of the island. Specifically, how Beckles Spring helped establish Bridgetown as a major port city for the island where ships could take on supplies and enjoy the “hospitality” of the island’s inhabitants. Once established, Bridgetown became an essential trading hub for selling cargo between the colonies and England, adding another key element to Barbados’ place in world history. The second seminar was led by Sir Henry Fraser, who discussed the history and health impact of rum on Barbados’ early society. He discussed how the growers over the years enjoyed the spirit and shared some great anecdotes about rum’s place in modern times, as well as the rise and fall of rum shops on the island. Our third seminar was taught by Dr. Tara Inniss, who guided us through the history and archaeological details of the slave burial ground found in Newton, Christ Church, on the southern portion of the island. This site has been nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage location, and there are plans for a memorial on the site. The final seminar of the week was led by Richard Seale, entitled “Evolution of Distillation.” During his talk, he shared with the audience details about the early days of distillation, showing us the designs of a variety of early stills and how they evolved into what is used today. He shared with us what he knew of modern day innovations and processes, tying many of the things we witnessed and learned during the week together.
Outside of the daily programming, every night of the Barbados Rum Experience offered a variety of experiences, such as Meet the Distillers dinners, cocktails at the Washington House, and bottle shares and tastings with the Barbados Rum Club. The last major event of the week had participants travel to Bridgetown to depart on a catamaran tour of the island. As we traveled the coast, Dr. Honeychurch shared with me historical points of interest, parts of the old sugar exportation operation, and other details that had been referred to during seminars during the week. The group enjoyed snorkeling in a couple of dive locations, as well as lunch on board the boat. The event concluded with a beachside gathering, and I found myself reflecting on how much information had been provided to us about the history and rum production of the beautiful island of Barbados. I appreciated that a hard, unfiltered look was taken at all aspects of the island’s history, sugar, and rum production, as well as exactly why the participants believe a Geographical Indicator is important to the future of the island’s rum legacy. Things like the Barbados Rum Experience would not be possible without the energy provided by representatives from the three sponsoring distilleries and the stewardship of Gayle and Christian Seale. A special thanks is in order for all involved, and with an eye to the future of the event, it will be interesting to see how it changes and grows in the years to come. It is rare for an event to live up to its full billing, but I believe that everyone who attended will agree that the Barbados Rum Experience provided us with new perspectives on the islands and their historical spirit.
-written by Paul Senft-