St. Vincent Distillers | 11
La Soufrière volcano, the St. Vincent Distill-
ery is about an hour’s drive from the capital,
along the island’s wind-swept Atlantic coast,
providing stunning views of Souffriere, the
still-active volcano (now dormant), which
last erupted in 1979.
Infrastructure at the distillery has been
ramped up in recent years to prepare for a
marked increase in tourism, which is antici-
pated upon completion of an international
airport in 2015. Previously, would-be island
tourists have had to fly to other nearby Ca-
ribbean airports before completing their
journey to Saint Vincent in a smaller plane.
“We’re ready with our kiosk hospitality
center” Phillippa Greaves said. “We’ve come
a long way in the last 10 years. We’ve come a
long way for a small distillery.
“It’s a wonderful destination to spend
some time getting to, and an even better
one to savor on arrival – whether by tour-
ing the facility, tasting its products or simply
enjoying the lushness of the grounds. It’s all
landscaped grounds, a lovely countryside. It
has a very calming feeling, not only for tour-
ists, but I think it raises the morale of staff as
well.” The current staff at the distillery num-
bers 27 and has remained steady for the past
16 years. Many of the employees have been
working there for 25 or 30 years.
“They’ve become skilled craftsmen in
their own right,” Phillippa Greaves said.
“They know all about the rum-making pro-
cess.”
Kenrick Greaves
General Manager
