The House of Angostura has given its rum range a fresh look, but it’s the brand’s renewed outlook that’s really worth your time.
Most people know the name for Angostura Bitters, the cocktail staple that’s been propping up Old Fashioneds since 1824. Founded by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert in Angostura, Venezuela, the brand eventually relocated to Trinidad, where it still operates today. That oversized label has become part of drinks folklore, exported to more than 160 countries and quietly dominating its category. It’s the Coca-Cola of bitters.
But Angostura is more than bitters. It’s also Trinidad and Tobago’s definitive (surviving) rum distillery, producing a wide range of styles that have racked up hundreds of awards across competitions like the International Spirits Challenge and San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
And yet, the rums have never quite had the spotlight. This rebrand looks like a serious attempt to fix that. We headed to the launch to see what’s actually changed.
The new House of Angostura Rum
The kiss of the butterfly
Global brand ambassador Daniel Jones introduces the new look with a story of growing up in Trinidad. He says you knew the sugar cane harvest season was close when butterflies started gathering in the fields. They’d land on the cane, drawn to the sweetness.
That moment, the so-called “kiss of the butterfly”, became a quiet signal that the crop was ready. The butterfly now sits front and centre on every bottle, a visual anchor for the brand’s identity, reminding you where this rum comes from.
The redesign goes beyond a lick of paint. The bottles are lighter, the labels use responsibly sourced paper, and secondary packaging has been stripped back across the premium range. It’s a practical shift that reduces waste without making too much of a song and dance about it.
How Angostura rum is made
Jones introduces us to master blender Ariana Maharaj, who leads an award-winning all-female blending team. Production starts with blackstrap molasses, with fermentation running for up to 72 hours using a proprietary yeast strain developed in-house.
Distillation happens across two systems. A large single-column still produces heavier styles, while a five-column setup handles lighter distillates. Only spirit from the first and final columns is retained, typically coming off between 75% and 95% ABV, before heading into cask.
Around 60,000 casks sit in inventory, mostly bourbon American oak. Tropical ageing does the heavy lifting. Heat and humidity accelerate interaction between spirit and wood, meaning flavour compounds develop faster, but so does evaporation. The angel’s share is no joke here.
Casks are reused up to three times, sometimes re-racked or combined to manage losses. It’s a system built for flexibility, with light and heavy distillates and different ageing profiles all feeding into blends that prioritise balance over brute force. Angostura also produces its own caramel for colour consistency.
Meet Angoustra Rum
Tasting through the range (from the 7yo and up), a few things stand out straight away. First, price and accessibility. This is rum built to be used, mixed, and enjoyed. I also appreciated that you could taste a house style throughout, with cooked apple and dried fruit, coffee fudge, and gentle baking spice aromatics at the core of the distillery character.
Then there’s the pride. Trinidad is front and centre in every conversation. As a rum-producing nation, it’s been slightly overlooked. Solid liquids, fair pricing, and a smart, practical rebrand feel like a good way to push things forward.
Angostura 3 Year Old Superior White
A workhorse white rum aged for up to three years in oak before being charcoal filtered back to clarity, it keeps the texture while staying clean enough for cocktails.
ABV: 37.5%
Angostura 5 Year Old Superior Gold
Five years in bourbon casks gives this a bit more weight without losing its easy-going style. Built for mixing, but doesn’t disappear when you do.
ABV: 40%.
Angostura 7 Year Old House Signature
The first rum we tried. Longer ageing brings depth and structure, with a natural sweetness that doesn’t tip into cloying territory. A good step up for anyone moving beyond spiced rum, with enough weight to hold its own beyond the highball.
ABV: 40%.
Tasting notes: Molasses and espresso lead, backed by dark chocolate, dried spice, and a toffee-like richness.
Angostura 1919 Grand Reserve
The value overachiever. A blend of light and heavy rums aged in charred oak, it has some richness but also a clean, polished profile. One of those bottles that wins people over.
ABV: 40%.
Tasting notes: Sweet spice and caramelised sugar, layered with vanilla, cocoa, and a smooth, gently oaked finish.
Angostura 1824 Founders Reserve
A blend of mature rums aged in charred oak casks, this takes things up another notch with more spice and coffee fudge depth.
ABV: 40%
Tasting notes: Baked spice and burnt sugar sit alongside dried fruit, vanilla, and a steady, rounded oak influence.
Angostura 1787 15 Year Old Special Reserve
The showstopper delivers with greater complexity. The spice becomes more aromatic, the fruit ripens, and the oaky weight contributes to a luxurious mouthfeel, without tipping into heaviness.
ABV: 40%
Tasting notes: Treacle and honey lead into vanilla, dark chocolate, and warming spice, with a fuller, more lingering finish.
