Got Rum?

When Molly and I were in Antigua a few years ago we really enjoyed a few of the local rums, especially Skullduggery Rum . They make a nice mellow rum that is good to sip or mix into the fruity rum drinks that are so enjoyable while watching the sunset and looking for the green flash. Antigua rum is especially tasty when compared to the “Rhum Agricole” from Martinique that is made with sugar cane and tastes more like rum flavored whiskey. Not too good for sipping or mixing but sure does remove old varnish.

Well, a few weeks ago Terrapin was anchored in Falmouth Harbor, Antigua, right in front of the Maltese Falcon (again), and Molly and I were checking internet ashore at the Skullduggery bar (yes they make rum AND have a bar with fast-ish internet!) when we noticed that Skullduggery had a small custom made cask of their rum for sale. We saw these casks when we were in Antigua a few years ago but all the ones we saw were sold and it would have taken too long to get a new one made. The one we had our eyes on now looked like it was filled and ready to be “installed” on Terrapin; this had to be a sign that we needed our own cask onboard!

As if having your own rum cask is not great enough, while sitting at the bar and negotiating the cask of rum with the owner, he suggested that we have the cask engraved by Michael "Scrimmy" Strzalkowski, the local scrimshaw artist (scrimchanderer?)  who makes jewelry for Keith Richards (and made a couple necklaces for us in 2014) and who had designed the Skullduggery casks and bottles. By the end of the week, Terrapin had a 7-liter cask of Skullduggery rum with an antique Victorian ivory piano key with “Terrapin” engraved on it. Now, the only “issue” we have is managing to drink 7-litres of rum. 

Thanks Scrimmy - hand engraved on Victorian piano key

One of a kind cask full of rum