FRIDAY, APRIL 13: A month-long Barritt’s ginger beer drought has ended — just before the fizz threatened to go out of Bermuda life altogether.
Some stores ran out of Bermuda’s ‘other’ national drink early last month, while many outlets were running low.
But Bruce Barritt, the general manager of makers John Barritt & Son, said a fresh shipment has arrived and more will be here next week.
Mr Barritt said the crisis was caused by a late delivery of ginger concentrate to the firm’s Florida bottling and canning plant: “The concentrate is produced in England and the challenge is getting it to Florida.”
The latest shipment had arrived at the start of March — but US Customs had seized the container, which contained other goods as well, for further examination.
And the US authorities did not release the container until near the end of the month — meaning production had ground to a halt.
Mr Barritt said: “Easter was when the real shortage was felt and that’s when things really reached a crescendo — we were getting phone calls from people worried that they couldn’t find our ginger beer anywhere.
“We didn’t have any inventory left — Easter is a traditional time and a time for families and that’s when demand for a traditional product like our ginger beer is high.
“But I’m pleased to say the crisis is nearly over and we’ll have the full range of bottles and cans back in stores everywhere soon.”
Barritt’s Stone Ginger Beer has been made since 1874 and is regarded by many as the only mixer with the other national drink, Gosling’s Black Seal rum, to create the legendary Dark & Stormy.