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Newfoundland Screech is 40% alcohol rum sold in Newfoundland. Screech is an award winning rum that, through clever marketing, has a name that was once just a colloquial term to describe almost any cheap, high alcohol spirit, including moonshine. The only thing that modern Screech has in common with the original spirit is Caribbean heritage.
Screech is manufactured in a process very similar to most rums: fermentation of sugarcane, distillation, aging and blending.
According to legend, screech was first created in the days of the Triangle Trade, when the same barrels were used to carry both molasses and rum, and were only occasionally cleaned. The barrels built up a deposit of strongly sweet sediment at the bottom, which was melted out with boiling water and either fermented or mixed with grain alcohol. This concoction, which is not even remotely like the modern rum, eventually became a marketing brand called Screech. It is now a mainstream, mid-priced rum.
The screech sold legally in liquor stores both in and outside of Newfoundland is blended and bottled by the Newfoundland and Labrador Liquor Corporation. Unlike their counterparts in other provinces, NLC has retained their bottling business. The spirit is widely available in Canada but only distributed in the US in three New England States (Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont).
Screeching In someone visiting Newfoundland for the first time is a longtime custom of many older bars in Newfoundland, in which the person is to drink a shot of screech, kiss a codfish on the mouth, and answer the question "Is ye an honourary Newfoundlander?" with the phrase "Indeed I is me ol' cock, and long may your big jib draw." After completing these tasks, they receive an official 'Screecher' certificate. This practice is a marketing gimmick developed by the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation (and embraced by the public and bars) which enables it to build and sustain sales of an otherwise standard rum.
Trapper John's[1] and Christian's Pub are famous for this initiation - both are on George Street, the entertainment district of downtown St. John's. In addition, the Inn of Olde located in the Quidi Vidi Gut area is well known for their unique approach to Screeching.