Combination Style: Beer Meets Rum in Barbados

Words by Jesse Serwer—

People have been drinking their beer and whiskey together for years. If you spend time in pubs, surely you’ve tried or at least heard of an Irish car bomb. These days, there’s even a whole cottage industry of whiskey/beer crossover drinks. So why not a Caribbean concoction that combines beer with the flavor of the region’s own liquor specialty, rum?

Our friends at Uncommon Caribbean recently alerted us to a wonderful new product that does just that. 10 Saints, a new Barbados microbrew launched in 2012, ages its beer in casks from the world’s oldest rum distillery, Mount Gay—specifically in casks of Mount Gay Special Reserve. Launched in spring of last year, 10 Saints (a reference to the 10 parishes of Barbados which take their names from saints) already has a bronze-medal finish under its belt from the Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival, where, Uncommon Caribbean’s Steve Bennett tells us, it impressed judges (and Steve himself) with its oak notes and spicy finish.

Currently, 10 Saints is only available in Barbados but, with a product this novel, an international expansion can’t be far behind. Read more about 10 Saints over at Uncommon Caribbean, and, if you’re in Barbados or headed there soon, visit 10 Saints’ Facebook page for a list of stockists.