Diageo photo
Some time back, I reported on the progress of a new distillery being built on St. Croix in the American Virgin Islands. This week it officially opened.
Gov. John de Jongh and other politicians from the U.S. Virgin Islands, of which St. Croix is one, on Tuesday joined executives from Diageo PLC at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Captain Morgan Rum distillery.
The new distillery, the governor said, "will not only reinvigorate our local rum industry but also will serve as a major economic engine for the territory," noting it is expected to generate more than $100 million annually in revenue for the islands over the next 30 years.
The project was not without its controversy, and not as one might think from the formerly lone rummaker on the island, Cruzan. Instead, politicians from neighboring Puerto Rico, which is not part of the Virgin Islands, have been expressing extreme unhappiness at the loss of jobs that had been on their island because a distillery there had been making Captain Morgan under contract.
You can get the rundown on the whole flap by clicking here.
To Dowd's Wine Notebook latest entry.
To Dowd's Tasting Notes latest entry.
Back to Dowd On Drinks home page.
