Rum · History · Short entry
Ligon describes 'kill-devil' in Barbados (1647-1650)
Richard Ligon, in Barbados from 1647 to 1650, described a spirit distilled from sugar skimmings called 'kill-devil', in a book published in 1657. It is among the earliest detailed descriptions of Caribbean cane spirit.
1647-1650 (published 1657)
Ligon describes the still-house where skimmings of the sugar coppers were distilled twice into 'kill-devil', worth half a crown a gallon and drunk heavily.
Why it mattered
Sugar-making, newly introduced from Brazil and carried out by enslaved Africans, produced the skimmings and molasses from which rum was distilled.
The account
Ligon landed in early September 1647 and left on 15 April 1650. He describes gutters carrying the skimmings of the three smaller coppers to the still-house, where they were distilled twice: the first run "Low-wines", the second "the strongest Spirit or Liquor that is potable", called kill-devil. He calls it "infinitely strong, but not very pleasant in taste" and notes that "the people drink much of it, indeed too much". The coppers were tended day and night by enslaved Africans working four-hour shifts.
Ligon does not use the word rum. The name rumbullion is reported from a manuscript of about 1651, which this atlas has not yet checked.
How it connects
Region
- event-in Barbados
Story
- story A history of rum
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