For the first time since the 18th century, rum is being stored and sold at Cape Breton's Fortress of Louisbourg.
Parks Canada and Authentic Seacoast Distilling Company from Guysborough, N.S. have come together in hopes of creating an experience for visitors that will take them back to the 18th century.
“Glynn Williams of Authentic Seacoast spent a lot of time researching in several places to make sure that he got that kind of aroma and taste that we know from the history books,” says fortress visitor experience manager Lester Marchand.
Creator Glynn Williams says the rum is distilled in the Caribbean and then was transferred to the fortress in September. The aging will take place inside 18th century style oak barrels.
“It's actually three-year-old aged Caribbean rum and a splash of Canadian rum, some secret ingredients and water from Guysborough.
The rum is on sale at select stores in Nova Scotia, with hopes of having it on store shelves throughout Atlantic Canada in the near future.
“It says Fortress of Louisbourg on the front label and wouldn't it be wonderful that, it's a call to action for people to come to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, come to the fortress and have the tasting and experience it here,” says Williams.
In the 18th century, Louisbourg was one of North America's busiest seaports and France's centre of trade. Caribbean rum was a major trading good of the times. There's hope that this rum will help people relive that period.
“Our taste, our smells, what they would have dressed in, how they would have behaved in their daily activities and rum is one of those stories,” says Catherine Arsenault, director of the Beaton Institute, the official repository for historically significant records of Cape Breton University.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore
