As part of a Cariforum project funded by the European Union in support of the Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement, the West Indies Rum and Spirits Producers Association (Wirspa), in collaboration with Angostura Ltd, implemented a training workshop aimed at upgrading the ability of producers to maintain their stock of rum ageing barrels.
Coopers from several smaller Caribbean distilleries spent an intensive week at Angostura's distillery in Trinidad, learning the art of repairing and maintaining the wooden barrels in which rum is placed to age and mature, a release from Angostura said. Premium authentic Caribbean rums are aged in oak barrels and keeping them leak free is a challenge.
This is where Coopers come into the picture–using age old techniques passed down over the years, Coopers use their skills and mostly hand tools to keep barrels of ageing rum from leaking.
This was one of many knowledge exchange activities funded by the European Union under their support for the Caribbean Economic Partnership Agreement. The overall project is aimed at strengthening the industry to better enable Caribbean rums to compete in international markets.
"Ageing of our rums in wooden barrels is a core part of producing our quality Authentic Caribbean Rums," says Frank Ward, Chairman of Wirspa.
"At the same time, it is an expensive process as we lose significant amounts each year to evaporation and sometimes leakage. This initiative will provide practical training to the smaller distilleries in the Wirspa family on how to reduce these losses and extend the life of their barrel stock. It's in the barrel that our unique flavours develop and our Coopers have an immense responsibility in making this happen".
According to Robert Wong, CEO of Angostura, "all of our Authentic Caribbean Rums are quality products which deserve a place at the table. Our contribution is part of an ongoing series of collaborations to support smaller distillers across our region to improve their practices. We'll continue to support these efforts by Wirspa to develop premium aged authentic Caribbean rums."