Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa

The generation that survived the atrocities of World War II has crafted a structure making the armed conflict between its members “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”. The European Union ensured a truly record-breaking peacetime period on the continent (regarding that united part). Even the destabilizing Brexit didn't provoke the other members' armed response, which alone is an event of significance in world's history.

Take, for example, British-French relations throughout history; even if there were few alliances, conflicts predominated. The battlefield was not only Europe, but also colonies. And so current friends and back then fierce enemies clashed in the Battle of the Saintes (1782). As a result, the British took over the lucrative Caribbean a little bit more than the French. And because of that, the rums from Saint Lucia are nowadays assigned to the British style.

Admiral Rodney brand refers to the officer of His Majesty's Ship known for breaking the line of battle - the standard tactics in naval combat - which gave glorious victory over the French squadron. This expressive personality has impacted oppositely the feuding nations fate and since it brought glory to one and caused a severe defeat to the other, evokes inevitably different associations. The last sentence occurs a bit less banal as we encounter that the brand has been led by the French Spiribam since 2016… and flourishes. The new product line has been created, where every subsequent variant takes the name of a British ship participating in the famous battle. So how is it, does the capital have nationality or not?

The brand Admiral Rodney debuted in the 1980s and was originally represented only by the Extra Old variant. The offer was expanded in 2019; the fleet currently consists of HMS Princessa, HMS Royal Oak and HMS Formidable; they differ in terms of the aging period. The Officer's Releases designations are reserved for limited editions.

The mountainous island of volcanic origin Saint Lucia doesn't have nowadays sufficient sugar cane resources to meet the distillery needs. So molasses are mainly imported from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico or Panama. Although the ACR indicates that raw material comes from Guyana. The water used in the production is taken from the nearby Roseau River and numerous rainwater tanks.

Fermentation with type B yeast lasts from 24 to 36 hours. Then the 7% wash undergoes the distillation purely from two-column McMillan Coffey still (installed in 1984). The distillate is pulled off from the lower rectifier parts on the 2nd column and usually diluted to 63% abv before pouring into the barrels. HMS Princessa spent five to seven years in American white oak barrels. The rum is bottled at 40% strength, without any additives.