Angostura Distillery

Angostura aromatic bitters were devised in 1824 by a German surgeon working in the Venezuelan town of Angostura, and the company moved to Trinidad in 1875. The bitters recipe is still held by a very small number of people, and the plant at Laventille also produces rum on a large scale. Tours take in the museum, the barrel warehouse and the bottling line, and include the Barcant butterfly collection, one of the largest in the Caribbean, housed on site.

What you actually see

• The bitters story - the 1824 recipe and how few people have ever known it.
• The rum warehouse - the ageing casks and blending operation.
• The Barcant butterfly collection - a very large Caribbean butterfly collection kept on site.
• The bottling line - the production floor seen from the tour route.

When to go

Year round; tours run on set weekdays and must be booked in advance. Production is not always running. Mornings are the usual slot.

Honest expectations

Tours must be booked ahead and are not available every day. The bitters production area is not shown for obvious reasons. The site is industrial and the surroundings are not attractive.

Nearby

Port of Spain is west, and Mount St Benedict is east.