THE ANTIGUA DISTILLERY 2012 66% VELIER - CATCH OF THE DAY

This is a special bottling from a lot of 27 casks selected by Luca Gargano on 20th of June 2017, with an unusually high level of congeners.

THE BRAND

The Antigua Distillery LTD company was founded in 1932 and the distillery was established in 1933. Molasses for distillations were bought from Antigua Sugar Factory, controlled by the government and from Montpelier sugar factory, bought some years later. The first distillations, were sold in bulk to various rum merchants which blended and bottled rums under their private labels. The first label from Antigua Distillery, dates back to 1947 when Cavalier Muscovado Rum was created, together with Cavalier Antigua Rum, still marketed nowadays. The distillery was equipped with a four columns copper French Savalle still, replaced in 1991 by a John Dore pure copper still, unique one in the Caribbean and in 1994, the English Harbour Rum brand was created in honor of Antigua's historic naval tradition at the homonymous site, in the southern part of the island.

THE BOTTLER

Velier was founded by the Chaix family in Genova in 1947 as a small traditional company specialised in the importation and distribution of wines, champagnes and spirits. In 1983, a young Luca Gargano, former brand ambassador for Saint James at that time, acquired shares in Velier. Under his influence the company began spacialising in the importation of outstanding spirits exclusively destinated to the Italian market. By the early 90s Luca heard about a legendary stock of Saint James rum dating back probably to 1885 and bottled in 1952. After a complex negotiation, he finally managed to acquire the entire stock. This was only the first of a list of legendary selections to come in the following years.