House of Angostura explained

House of Angostura
Type:Private
Foundation:1830 in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
Founder:Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert
Location City:Laventille
Location Country:Trinidad and Tobago
Locations:8
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:Robert Wong – CEO
Industry:Beverages
Products:Rum, bitters, carbonated soft drinks
House of Angostura
Type:Liquor
Origin:Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago
Introduced:Around 1830

The House of Angostura, also known as Angostura Limited, is a Trinidad and Tobago company famous for the production of Angostura bitters, invented by the company's founder. The company is also a distiller and is the major producer of rum in Trinidad and Tobago. The company also has been used as a vehicle for international expansion by its parent company, CL Financial. As a result of these acquisitions, the company owns distillers in the United States, Canada, The Bahamas and Suriname.

History

The company was founded around 1830 in the Venezuelan town of Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar) by a German doctor, Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, Surgeon-General in Simon Bolivar's army in Venezuela. Around 1820, he had tried to find a medicine to improve appetite and digestive well-being of the soldiers.

In 1830, 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. In 1862, the product was exhibited and sampled in London, to great approval. Upon his death in 1870, Siegert left the care of the company to his younger brother and son, who subsequently moved it to Port of Spain, Trinidad six years later in 1876.[1]

Over the course of time, Angostura bitters and Dr. Siegert's company alone became purveyor to the King of Prussia, Spain, and King George V. Today, angostura bitters are also produced by various other vendors, some of which add the bark of the angostura tree (Angostura trifoliata). Angostura bitters are a key ingredient in many cocktails, for example in pink gin and the Manhattan. Angostura brand bitters do not contain any angostura bark.[2] There are several other companies that make bitters containing this bark, notably Fee Brothers and Riemerschmid.

The word "Angostura" (lit. "Narrows") is the founding name of Ciudad Bolívar along the narrows of Venezuela's Orinoco River where Dr. Siegert was based. It was an important trading town with river access to the sea.

In December 2016, questions arose regarding the integrity of Angostura rum, with CEO Robert Wong sent on administrative leave for two months. Reports say Angostura breached EU rules of origin laws by purchasing bulk rum and repackaging it, without making any substantial changes.[3]

The company observed its 200th anniversary in 2024, as the government of Trinidad and Tobago reported that bitters represented 8% of the market value of exports in the food and beverage sector.[4]

Products

Notes and References

  1. Book: West Publishing Company. National Reporter System, New York (State). Superior Court (New York), New York (State). Supreme Court, New York (State). Court of Appeals. New York Supplement. 1894. 591.
  2. Book: Albert Y. Leung . Steven Foster . Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics. Wiley-Interscience. 2003. 35.
  3. Web site: Audit into Angostura rum . Javeed . Asha . Sunday Express . 3 Dec 2016 . Sunday Express . 11 December 2016.
  4. Web site: Minister Gopee-Scoon congratulates Angostura on its bicentennial anniversary . September 16, 2024 . Ministry of Trade and Industry . . November 16, 2024 .
  5. Web site: Home . angostura.com.
  6. Web site: Angostura 1824 – Trinidad & Tobago – review – Ministry of Rum. 2015-12-02. 2015-12-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208051018/http://www.ministryofrum.com/rumdetails.php?name=Angostura%201824&r=438. dead.
  7. Web site: Angostura 1787 Super Premium Rum Launching Soon - UWICLUBS.com . 2017-12-06 . 2017-12-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171207083705/http://uwiclubs.com/2016/05/25/angostura-1787-super-premium-rum-launching-soon/ . dead .
  8. Web site: The Oldest and Most Expensive Rum in the World.
  9. Web site: Archived copy . 2017-12-07 . 2015-09-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150905060037/http://www.angostura.com/Media/News/2012/Release_Legacy.pdf . dead .

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