THE HISTORY OF ANGOSTURA AROMATIC BITTERS
Originally from Germany, Johann Siegert, a doctor of medicine, left his homeland in 1820, the call of adventure ringing in his ears. He was bound for Venezuela, to join with Simon Bolivar in his fight against the Spanish throne. Bolivar then appointed him Surgeon-General of the Military Hospital in the town of Angostura.
Dr. Siegert was above all a scientist. A scientist with a keen enquiring mind. He had seen soldiers battered by the enemy from without and within, by severe fevers and internal stomach disorders.
From the beginning Dr. Siegert was determined to wrest a cure from nature itself and after four years of trial and error, researching and analysing the qualities of tropical herbs and plants, he finally arrived at a unique blend of herbs which he called “Amargo Aromatico” or aromatic bitters. The year was 1824. Dr. Siegert hoped to use the bitters to bring relief to his patients, his small circle of family and friends, but these events were to prove otherwise. From these humble beginnings an international industry was soon to rise.
It was a period of great maritime activity in the Caribbean. The town of Angostura on the banks of the Orinoco River was an important trading post. Ships came into this port from all over the world, their sailors often complaining of sea-sickness. From the residents, they soon learned of the restorative qualities of Dr. Siegert’s remedies and of Angostura aromatic bitters began its continuing trip around the world. Dr. Siegert was encouraged to think of producing his bitters on a commercial scale.
In 1830, Dr. Siegert exported his unique aromatic bitters to England 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. By the time Dr. Siegert died in 1870, his reputation and that of his Angostura aromatic bitters were internationally established.
Dr. J.G.B. Sieger t& Hijo, a partnership with his son, Carlos, was established in 1867 by Dr. Siegert. Two years after the death of Dr. Siegert, the name was changed to Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Hijos, to include younger brother, Alfredo Siegert.
Don Carlos, as Carlos became known, recognised that he was in possession of the secret to a unique product. Bon vivant, impeccable in his dress and manners, he was among the first advertisers.
He exhibited in London in 1862 and sampled his product. It was applauded with gin, the monotony of which was forever altered. It became the magic ingredient, to be used in exotic concoctions. He exhibited in Paris in 1867 and in Vienna in 1873. He visited Philadelphia in the united States in 1876 and Australia in 1879. The hallmark of Angostura aromatic bitters was firmly established.
HOME TO TRINIDAD
Venezuela was not as politically stable as Simon Bolivar had promised. There was internal strife and dictator followed dictator. Carlos and Alfredo decided to leave and chose the nearby island of Trinidad as their country of adoption. In Trinidad, Carlos and Alfredo were joined by their youngest brother, Luis, and together they set up business once again.
Angostura aromatic bitters made the brothers remarkably prosperous.
In 1903 Carlos Siegert died followed in two years by Luis, making Alfredo the sole owner of the secret formula for Angostura aromatic bitters.
In 1904, Alfredo was appointed purveyor of Angostura aromatic bitters to the King of Prussia and in 1907 to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. He went public with the company and named it Angostura Bitters (Dr. J.G.B. Siegert & Sons) Limited. Three years later the Company was appointed purveyor of Angostura aromatic bitters to King George V.
Alfredo speculated in several business projects and lost heavily, great sums of money, and the House of Angostura passed into the hands of its creditors.
The company survived some hard times, a bid from a US distributor and another from a Canadian business man, both of who would have transplanted the industry outside of Trinidad. They were unsuccessful. Some forty years later, the company was back in the hands of the Siegert family.
THE HOUSE OF ANGOSTURA GROUP
By the turn of the century, the Company ventured into the rum market, at first just in bottling bulk rum from other distillers. After years of intensive research in fermentation and distillation processes, the Company installed a state-of-the-art distillery in 1945 heralding its entry into the production of rum on a major scale.
By the end of 1960, the Company had extended distribution of its products to over 140 countries across the world, becoming well known internationally for its high quality rums in addition to the now world famous Angostura aromatic bitters
In 1985 Angostura Limited became the proud recipient of a National Award, the Humming Bird Gold Medal, for its contribution to industry in Trinidad and Tobago, the first company to be so honoured.
The Royal Warrant to provide Angostura aromatic bitters to the Royal household has been held by the Company during several reigns. The distinction is a prestigious one that is granted by royal grace and favour to firms that have achieved excellence and have maintained the highest standard of quality.
Within the past few years, Angostura has doubled its overall distillation and storage capacity in Trinidad with average production levels rising from 1.3 million litres in 1960 to 20 million litres in 1998. At the turn of the century, rectification capacity increased to 50 million litres. More than 95% is exported to consumers all over the world. "Especially now, since the company is affiliated with well known houses such as Hine, Belvedere, Marie Brizard and Burn Stewart, who are all part of the CL Financial's drinks company - CL Worldbrands."
The core business of the House of Angostura is now located on a 20 acre complex in Trinidad and includes
its administration facility, a museum, art gallery, auditorium, merchandising shop, wine and spirits retail outlet, dining room and hospitality suites which facilitate visitor tours.
Distilled in Trinidad, using the secret recipe since 1824, and the same natural blend of herbs and spices, Angostura aromatic bitters is versatile beyond belief. It has retained its original formulation, one of the few remaining true trade secrets, an international brand that over the centuries has continued to flavour the world.
Rum
Perhaps more famous for their aromatic bitters, Angostura Limited has been in the business of rum making through its production company, Trinidad Distillers Limited, since 1947. They ferment, distill, age, blend and bottle alcoholic beverages, mainly rum, in Laventille, Trinidad, West Indies. Starting with a French designed still made by Savalle capable of producing 5400 litres of alcohol/day, today’s production capacity is over 65,000 litres of alcohol/day. There are 6 ageing warehouses with a total capacity of 80,000 casks. They bottle over 600, 000 cases of rum/year. Exports are mainly to the US, UK, Europe and the rest of the Caribbean.
Molasses
Molasses is the most widely used raw material for rum production. Its composition varies and depends on the quality of the cane, composition of soil, climatic conditions, methods of harvesting cane, manufacturing process for sugar and handling and storage of molasses. The composition of molasses is referred to as the “quality of the molasses” and is what contributes to quality and intensity of the rum flavour. (Shete, 2000)
Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used in fermentation:
Louis Pasteur in the mid 1800s discovered that there was actually a single cell microscopic organism responsible for the conversion of fermentable barley malt into alcohol, carbon dioxide and flavour compounds. This micro-organism was named yeast – Saccharomyces cerevisiae (a single cellular fungus). In the biochemistry of fermentation, Gay Lussac suggested the following biochemical pathway:
Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon Dioxide
Saccharomyces yeast normally converts 88-90% of fermentable sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide. The balance of the sugar is mainly utilized in the fermentation process for cell growth (about 3-5%), glycerol formation (3-5%), and by products that are responsible for flavour and aroma.
Fermentation:
Fermentation is a living process. The molasses is diluted with water to reduce the sugar content to approximately 15% and a pure yeast culture is added to the mixture. The yeast cells convert the available sucrose to ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and carbon dioxide (CO2) with the release of heat energy. This mixture is called the “live wash”.
Fermentation takes approximately 30 hours to be completed during which time the yeast in the mixture uses up the available sugar in the molasses. The liquid left at the end of the fermentation process which is called “dead wash” is used for distillation.
During fermentation, a number of constituents called congeners are also manufactured. These congeners, which are regarded as the rum flavours, are the major constituents of the heavy type rums. They are necessary when blending because they give flavour and character to the rum.
Congeners formed during fermentation:
- Aldehydes – by oxidation of alcohol
- Acids – by oxidation of aldehydes
- Fusel Oil – by conversion of free amino acids in water to higher alcohols
- Easters – by esterification of alcohols and acids
- Volatile sulphur compounds – by combination of sulphate and sulphur with amino acids.
Distillation:
After fermentation, the fermented wash is fed to the still. Distillation is the process of boiling the “dead wash” and condensing its vapour to produce the alcohol that is collected. The distillation process is done mainly to separate and concentrate the alcohol component of the liquid mixture. During this process, the undesirable congeners are removed and the desirable ones that add significantly to the taste and aroma of the raw rum are retained in the heavy type rum that is distilled from the first distillation column.
The plant uses 5 columns:
- Hydroselection column
- Rectifying column; (70 trays)
- Recovery column (45 trays)
- Final polishing column.
The distilled product of the mash column or “wash stripper” is referred to as “heavy rum”. For production of light and neutral spirits, the remaining columns are used.
Ageing:
After distillation, the rum is drawn off into large stainless steel vessels for storage before being barrelled off into forty gallon oak barrels and moved to the warehouse for ageing. Although the ageing process is not fully understood, it is considered to be the most significant aspect of the rum manufacturing process because the rum improves with age.
Immediately after distillation, the rum, which is a raw clear liquid with a hot harsh taste and an acrid odour still contains small amounts of hydrogen sulphide gas formed during the fermentation process. During ageing many changes occur as a result of the oxidation and selective diffusion though the pores of the oak barrel and the chemical interaction between the congeners.
Rum ageing was practiced since the sixteen hundreds when seafarers found that as rum was carried on long journeys in wooden barrels it improved even more and it also became darker in colour. Today all the ageing of rum is done in oak wood barrels that were previously used for the ageing of cognac, wine and, predominantly, bourbon.
After the barrels are used once for the ageing of other liquours, they are employed in the rum industry as “Once used” barrels. Regulations that require producers of bourbon to use barrels only once assure a steady supply of barrels for the rum industry. Oak wood barrels are used because they do not contribute offensive odours or tastes to the rum during the ageing process .
Oak wood is used for storage because it is tight grained wood capable of making leak proof barrels that are ideal for strong liquids. The size of the radial rays of oak wood is what gives the strength to its barrels and also allows it to meet the characteristics required for storage containers such as porosity, strength resilience workability and lightweight.
There are three types of reactions occurring simultaneously in the barrel during the ageing process. They are:
- An extraction of complex wood constituents from the wood by the liquid.
- Oxidation of components originally present in the liquid as well as of the material extracted from the wood.’
- Reactions between the various organic substances present in the liquid that lead to the formation of new congeners.
Blending is the secret of fine rum. It allows the master bender to use many different types and styles of rums to create a particular blend or brand. The barrels of rum used for a particular blend are selected with age as the major selection criteria. The skill of blending involves the mixing together of light and heavy type rums of different ages that have been carefully analysed and selected by the blender for the characteristics specified.
Through a “marrying process” the different rums are allowed to fuse together to give the blend a smoothing effect. After the rum is blended it is stored in bottling vats and reduced to bottling strength by the addition of deionised water. It is then passed through filters and polishers before being bottled and packaged for sale.
