Honeymoon - Part 3

After the disaster of not having water the night before, we were really hoping to do something fun on day 3 of our honeymoon, so we booked a couple massages. After we were completely relaxed we decided to cross the bay to dine at a local restaurant for lunch.

And of course you can't have lunch in St. Lucia without a beautiful view of the ocean!

I would not mind eating here everyday if it meant I had beautiful views like these. 

Lunch in St. Lucia isn't complete without a Piton beer...or two!

After we had our fill of some local cuisine we hailed a driver to take us to the local rum distillery for a tour. The distillery was only a short drive from Marigot. Once we arrived we had to check in with the guards (rum is a serious business on the islands!).

The check in was quick and painless and off we went to explore.

We stopped in the shop to pay our dues. Since we were the first there of our group we got an extra little taste of the rum!

We began the tour with a talking parrot and mannequin and a short video.

After we finished the video the rest of our group arrived and we were able to begin exploring the property.

Our tour guide told us that the casks behind her used to store Jack Daniels, so the barrels are able to impart some interesting flavors into the rum. 

Next stop the distillation room. 

They start the process with molasses imported from Guyana. Since the abolition of slavery in St. Lucia the island no longer grows enough sugar cane to support the production of rum, so they import it from the nearby island.

Water, yeast, and molasses are mixed and left to ferment.

During the fermentation process the rum sits in these huge baths for varying amounts of time. Some only have a short fermentation period, while others will have slightly longer.

The rum then goes through the distillation process. The mixture is heated and distilled in either a pot still (like this one below) or a column still. Both methods are used at this factory and each gives the rum a distinct flavor.

After our short tour we were released back into the tasting room. A was pretty happy about that! 

A went straight for the double strength rum!

The tastings were all you can drink (for $4 that's a pretty good bargain), but we decided that it was a little too humid to be taking straight rum shots and decided to head back to the hotel to drink our rum mixed in a cocktail!