The House of Angostura (), also known as Angostura Limited, is a

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

company famous for the production of

Angostura bitters Angostura bitters () is a concentrated bitters (herbal alcoholic preparation) based on gentian, herbs, and spices, by House of Angostura in Trinidad and Tobago. It is typically used for flavouring beverages or, less often, food. The bitters we ...

, invented by the company's founder. The company is also a distiller and is the major producer of rum in Trinidad and Tobago. The company also has been used as a vehicle for international expansion by its parent company,

CL Financial CL Financial was the largest privately held conglomerate in Trinidad and Tobago and one of the largest privately held corporations in the entire Caribbean, before the company encountered a major liquidity crisis and subsequent bailout in 2009. ...

. As a result of these acquisitions, the company owns distillers in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...

and

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

History

The company was founded around 1830 in the

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n town of Angostura (now

Ciudad Bolívar Ciudad Bolívar (; Spanish for "Bolivar City"), formerly known as Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana, is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolívar State. It lies at the spot where the Orinoco River narrows to about in width, is the si ...

) by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, Surgeon-General in Simon Bolivar's army in

. Around 1820, he had tried to find a medicine to improve

appetite Appetite is the desire to eat food items, usually due to hunger. Appealing foods can stimulate appetite even when hunger is absent, although appetite can be greatly reduced by satiety. Appetite exists in all higher life-forms, and serves to regu ...

and digestive well-being of the soldiers. In 1830, Siegert exported his unique aromatic bitters to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

and Trinidad. By 1850, he had resigned his commission in the Venezuelan army to concentrate on the manufacture of his bitters, since by then, demand had leapt ahead of supply. In 1862, the product was exhibited and sampled in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, to great approval. Upon his death in 1870, Siegert left the care of the company to his younger brother and son, who subsequently moved it to

Port of Spain Port of Spain ( Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a muni ...

, Trinidad six years later in 1876. Over the course of time, Angostura bitters and Dr. Siegert's company alone became purveyor to the King of

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, and

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

. Today, angostura bitters are also produced by various other vendors, some of which add the

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, e ...

of the angostura tree ('' Angostura trifoliata''). Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many

cocktails A cocktail is an alcoholic mixed drink. Most commonly, cocktails are either a combination of spirits, or one or more spirits mixed with other ingredients such as tonic water, fruit juice, flavored syrup, or cream. Cocktails vary widely across ...

, for example in pink gin and the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

. Angostura brand bitters do not contain any angostura bark. There are several other companies that make bitters containing this bark, notably Fee Brothers and Riemerschmid. The word "Angostura" (lit. "Narrows") is the founding name of Ciudad Bolívar along the narrows of Venezuela's

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

River where Dr. Siegert was based. It was an important trading town with river access to the sea. In December 2016, questions arose regarding the integrity of Angostura rum, with CEO Robert Wong sent on administrative leave for two months. Reports say Angostura breached EU rules of origin laws by purchasing bulk rum and repackaging it, without making any substantial changes.

Products

* ''Forres Park Puncheon Rum'': An over-proof rum originally developed for the exclusive use of the Fernandes family and their estate workers. * ''White Oak'': A white rum aged in American white oak barrels. Sold within the Caribbean and the top selling rum in Trinidad and Tobago. * ''Fernandes Black Label'': A golden rum that was originally produced by Fernandes Distillers. * ''Single Barrel Reserve'': A blend of rums aged in single select bourbon oak casks for a minimum of five years. * ''Angostura Reserva'': A white rum sold internationally that is aged for a minimum of three years before being filtered. * ''Angostura 5 Year Old'': A golden rum that is available internationally aged for a minimum of five years. * ''Angostura 7 Year Old'': A dark rum that is available internationally and aged for a minimum of seven years. * ''1919'': A specially blended multiple award-winning rum, named for the year that it was originally blended. * ''1824'': A premium Rum aged for a minimum of 12 years from casks specially selected by the master-blender. The name of this rum commemorates the year that Dr. Siegert develops Angostura aromatic bitters. * ''1787'': A super-premium 15 year-old aged rum launched in 2016. 1787 marks the beginning of sugar production in Trinidad. * ''Angostura No. 1 Premium Rum Cask Collection Batch'': No. 1 is the first premium rum to be unveiled in The Cask Collection, a new limited-edition range dedicated to rums aged in special French bourbon casks. Aged 16 years. Only 15,030 bottles are available worldwide. * ''Angostura No. 1'': No. 1 is the first premium rum to be unveiled in The Cask Collection, a new limited-edition range dedicated to rums aged in special casks. Only 9,600 bottles are available worldwide. * ''Legacy'': A special blend of seven of the brand’s most rare and precious rums. Only 20 bottles have been produced and until 2014, this was the most expensive rum in the world.

References

External links

* {{British Royal Warrant holders 1830 establishments in Venezuela Bitters Brands of Trinidad and Tobago British Royal Warrant holders Drink companies of Trinidad and Tobago Rums Food and drink companies established in 1830