You can take a man out of the Caribbean, but you can’t take the Caribbean out of that man. And so, when Sylvester Herman was unable to find a genuine rum punch in his new Scottish home, he did the next best thing and created his own.
He began to brew his mum’s fresh fruit punch, the one she used to make for him and his siblings as kids, but he altered the recipe to include rum. Bringing back fond memories of good times with family and friends during long, hot days in Saint Lucia, it’s a taste of home in a glass and makes him feel that little bit closer every time he takes a sip.
A decision to share this with others led to the birth of IslandSlice Rum Punch Fusion, created with fresh ingredients and a three-week shelf life. An instant hit at the markets in Scotland, it was so popular that he quickly sold out of the original 1000 unit batch and had to stay up all night to make more for the next day.
Established and registered in 2016 by Sylvester Herman, as one of Scotland’s first registered rum companies, IslandSlice is a craft rum company based on the west coast of Scotland, along the River Clyde. In 2020 they became an independent distillery, able to provide a range of three rums, all made in Scotland but mixed and distilled to a genuine Afro-Caribbean recipe.
Dark Rum is a smooth blend of vat-aged gold rum. The result is a warm, rich complex flavour, with hints of smoky caramel. Native to the Caribbean but distilled, blended, filtered and bottled in Scotland, this can be enjoyed neat over ice, or as the base for your favourite cocktail. Coconut Rum, IslandSlice’s premium white rum, is further blended with coconut and coconut flavours, producing a refreshing distinctive tropical taste. Enjoy solo, over ice. Spiced Rum is a premium Scottish crafted spiced rum, where the finest IslandSlice Scottish white rum is infused with specially selected spices to a native Caribbean recipe to form a pleasantly surprising fusion.
IslandSlice’s logo celebrates the history of the drink, from its birth in Saint Lucia to the present day in Scotland. The triangle in the field of white represents the commanding Ben Lomond. On the outer edge of the field of white is the blue Loch Lomond – which works beautifully as it also represents the iconic Piton Mountains on the flag of Saint Lucia.
Sylvester is from a family of six in the village of Saltibus in Saint Lucia. His global travels, enhanced by active service in the British army, have given him a real awareness and respect of different cultures. Settling in Scotland and creating a life there was not a big challenge. Working on Saint Lucian time has allowed his business to grow organically and enabled him to plan how he can get out of lockdown in a good position. However, with regards to homesickness he says, “When I get homesick, tuning into Caribbean Hot FM and the heat in the distillery keep me connected to the tropics”. Speaking to this friendly, Scotland-based Caribbean pioneer, makes one certain more great things are to follow from Sylvester Herman.
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