St Kitts and Nevis have a very rich history, being governed by both the French and the British. The islands finally achieved independence from Britain in 1983, and although politically stable, Nevis tried to break away from St Kitts in 1998, but a referendum held in Nevis failed to gain the necessary majority needed to achieve this.
The country achieves much of its income through tourism, offshore finance and service industries, and these have become even more important since the sugar industry was finally closed in 2005. The sugarcane industry had been important to the island for centuries, but ultimately turned into a loss-making business due to falling sugar prices throughout the world. The last sugarcane was cut on July 31st in 2005.
When the sugarcane industry was operational, St Kitts used to produce its own rum, but nowadays there is just one small bottling and blending plant on the island in Basseterre which imports rum from Guyana before ageing it in French oak barrels left over from Baron Edmond Rothschilds involvement in rum production.
The Baron had decided that St Kitts water was some of the best in the Caribbean, and reasoned that the island would be able to produce some of the best rum in the world. The rum now produced in Basseterre can generally only be found locally, but does have a very good reputation. However rum lovers will find that all the bars in St Kitts have a large selection to choose from, as this is very much a Caribbean drink and some of these bars have been around for centuries.
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