Antione River Rum Distillery

The Antoine River is located on Grenada's northeast coast. There has been a rum distillery on this river using the power of the running water to crush the sugar cane for over 200 years, and make their signature 150 proof River Rum.

The river is diverted to the waterwheel by a system of channels and gates down the hillside.















The huge waterwheel was made from cast iron segments in England.





















The waterwheel drives the cane crusher.









The juice flows to the boiling room by way of this gravity trough.



















Crushed cane waste is dried and stored, and then used for fuel to heat the boiling pots.



















Once the juice has been extracted from the cane it is directed to the boiling room where it is boiled in large pots.

After the cane juice is boiled and reduced, it is sent to the fermenting room to be fermented in large concrete tanks. It certainly isn't very appetising looking yet!

Once the cane juice is fermented, it is directed through a system of gravity fed pipes to the still where it is distilled in a triple effect process.

Patty was our guide, and she was quite proud of the final product. The chalk board is used to keep track of the various batches of rum being processed.
River Rum is at least 150 proof (that would be 75 percent alcohol). Here, some of the cruising ladies sample to final product. Their expressions are testimony to the power of this stuff!

If you get to the Spice Island of Grenada, come visit the Antione River Rum Distillery - it's an interesting part of Caribbean history.