Angostura Bitters were invented in 1824 by Johann Gottlieb Benjamin Siegert, a German doctor acting as Surgeon-General in Simon Bolivar's army in Venezuela. It was created in a quest to find a medicine to improve the appetite and digestive well-being of soldiers. In 1830 the House of Angostura was founded and began exporting the bitters to England and Trinidad. By 1875, the business moved to Trinidad under the management of Dr. Siegert's sons carlos, Alfredo and Luis to meet international demand.
Rum blending within the company began as far back as the 1900s, but became a larger part of the operations in 1949 with the addition of a multi-column distillery, utilising the skills of a number of prominent chemists to drive the company to become a leader of rum manufacture.
Today Angostura Bitters are still the world's best-selling brand of bitters and Angostura Rum is the winner of many international rum awards. |