Trinidad Rum History Timeline

1787: First Sugarmill Installed

In 1787, the first sugarmill in Trinidad is constructed in an area northeast of Port of Spain by Picot de la Peyrouse, a French…

1797: Trinidad captured by The British

Trinidad is captured by the forces of Sir Ralph Abercromby and becomes a British Colony. At this time, there were 159 sugar mills, 60…

1824: Angostura Bitters Invented

Silestian doctor Johann Siegert perfects his formula for aromatic bitters and begins selling it as Amargo Aromatico in the town now known as Ciudad…

1832: Widespread Slave Activism

From January to June of this year, slaves all across the island put down their tools and refused to work unless working conditions were…

1834: Emancipation of Slavery

The first two centuries of rum production in the Caribbean were built on the exploitation of people removed from their homeland and forced into…

1845: Indian Indentureship Begins

In the post-emancipation period, People of Indian Origin would form the largest population of labourers in the sugarcane industry . The majority of them…

1846: Sugar Duties Act Passed

The passage of this act saw the equalization of duties on foreign and British West Indian sugar imported into Britain. Combined with the effects…

1870: Usine Sainte Madeleine Built

Constructed in south Trinidad by the Colonial Company, this sugar refinery would be the largest in the British Empire and the most efficient on…

1875: Angostura Comes to Trinidad

Angostura, now in the hands of the founder’s heirs had been seeking to leave Venezuela for a few years. As the global demand for…

1890: Fernandes Rum Established

Manoel Fernandes who arrived in Trinidad from Madeira ten years earlier would establish his blending house on Henry Street, Port of Spain. Here he…

1914: Earliest Reference to Caroni Rum

The Caroni Rum Distillery has always been described as having been established in 1918. This advertisement from the Trinidad Guardian is not only from…

1927: Child Labour Prohibited

An ordinance that prohibits the the employment of children under the age of twelve is established. Before this, children were employed in weeding, picking…

1932: Port of Spain Rum Bond destroyed by Fire

The treasury building that also housed the Government Rum Bond was destroyed by a fire on June 25th, 1932. About 100 years before this,…

1933: Fernandes acquires Forres Park

One year after buying the stock of rum from the burnt treasury building in Port of Spain, JB Fernandes would acquire the Forres Park…

1934: Sugar Estate Riots

From May to July, a series of riots would erupt across the sugar belt. These events have sometimes been considered to be the beginning…

1939: World War II Begins

During the Second World War, American Naval Bases were built in multiple British West Indian Territories including Antigua, Jamaica, and Trinidad. In Trinidad and…

1947: Angostura Distillery Established

Already in the business of producing their iconic Aromatic Bitters, and a rum liqueur called Siegert’s Bouquet, the rapidly growing company would build a…

1953: JB Fernandes Acquires the Queen’s Park Hotel

In 1953 JB Fernandes purchased both the Queen’s Park Hotel in Port of Spain and the Great House of the Champs-Élysées Estate in Maraval…

1955: Angostura Issued a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth II

In 1904, Alfredo Siegert was appointed purveyor of Angostura aromatic bitters to the King of Prussia, and in 1907 to King Alfonso XIII of…

1955: Caroni Acquires Esperanza Estate

Both the Esperanza Estate and Bronte Estate would be consolidated into Caroni Limited with their purchase of Gordon Sugar Estates Limited in 1955. Esperanza…

1957: Caroni Takes Control of Sainte Madeleine

The West Indies Sugar Company was founded in Jamaica in 1937, and in its second year of operation it would be expanded to include…

1959: Angostura Old Oak Rum Launched

The introduction of this product is credited with rum becoming more profitable than bitters for the company. At this time, the term Old Rum…

1961: Caroni acquires Woodford Lodge

Woodford Lodge would go into voluntary liquidation before being absorbed into Caroni Limited. This would leave Forres Park and Golden Grove as the only…

1962: Trinidad and Tobago becomes Independent

Politicians had long been lobbying for Independence, but it would be the Trinidad and Tobago Independence Act of 1962 that finally allows Trinidad and…

1968: Orange Grove Estate Acquired by Caroni

Orange Grove Estate, consisting at the time of over 4000 acres was the last estate to be consolidated into Caroni. The machinery at the…

1970: March to Caroni

This event, described by Historian Brinsley Samaroo as “the high point in the history of Trinidad and Tobago” was the culmination of labour unrest…

1973: Angostura Acquires Fernandes

Angostura’s holding company was able to purchase Fernandes Distillers with capital gained from Bacardi taking a minority but significant stake in both companies. The…

1975: Government Acquires Caroni Limited

08In 1970 the Trinidad and Tobago Government acquired a 51% stake in Caroni Limited. This decision was linked to the Nationalist and Anti-Imperialist sentiment…

1985: Angostura Royal Oak Launched

As part of a Caribbean tour, Queen Elizabeth II visits Trinidad and Tobago and pays a courtesy call to the House of Angostura. The…