Taking Rum Home From Grenada: Strength Limits, Packing and Allowances

Grenadian rum is one of the best souvenirs the island offers: it is local, distinctive and, in the case of Rivers from River Antoine, almost impossible to buy anywhere else. But carrying it home involves three separate sets of rules: airline safety limits on strength, airport security limits on liquids in hand luggage, and your home country's customs allowance. Get any of them wrong and a bottle can be confiscated at the airport or attract duty when you land.

This guide sets out the rules as they usually apply to passengers leaving Maurice Bishop International Airport, which local rums fall on which side of the line, how to pack bottles so they arrive intact, and what to check for the country you are flying to.

The 70% rule: the one that catches people out

International aviation dangerous-goods rules, applied by airlines worldwide and by authorities such as the US Transportation Security Administration, treat very strong spirits as a fire hazard. Alcoholic drinks above 70% alcohol by volume, which is 140 US proof, are not allowed on passenger aircraft at all: not in hand luggage, not in checked bags. Drinks between 24% and 70% are allowed in checked baggage in unopened retail packaging, up to five litres per passenger. Below 24%, such as wine and beer, there is no strength limit, though airline baggage allowances still apply.

This matters in Grenada more than almost anywhere, because the island's favourite rums sit right at the limit. Security staff look at the strength printed on the bottle, and a spirit over 70% will be taken from you. There is no appeal at the gate and no way to ship it back from the airport. The answer is simply to check every bottle before you pack it.

Which Grenadian rums can fly

These are the strengths printed on the main local bottles at the time of writing. Producers can change strengths, so always check the bottle itself.

• Rivers rum, island version, around 75%: not allowed on any flight. Drink it in Grenada.
• Rivers rum, travel version, around 69%: allowed in checked baggage. River Antoine bottles this version specifically for visitors.
• Clarke's Court Pure White, 69%: allowed in checked baggage.
• Westerhall Jack Iron, 69%: allowed in checked baggage.
• Aged, golden and spiced rums from Clarke's Court and Westerhall, usually around 40% to 43%: allowed in checked baggage.
• Rum liqueurs, rum creams and rum punch, usually well under 24%: allowed in checked baggage without the five-litre spirit limit, subject to customs rules at home.
• Home-made or decanted rum with no printed strength: do not pack it. You cannot show it is under 70%, and it is not in retail packaging.

Hand luggage, duty-free and connections

Liquids rule at security. Like most airports, Maurice Bishop International Airport applies the 100 ml rule to liquids in hand luggage at security. A full bottle of rum bought in town must go in your checked bag.

Duty-free after security. Bottles bought in the departure area are usually packed in a sealed, tamper-evident bag with the receipt inside. Keep it sealed until you reach your final destination; opening it can mean losing it at a later security check.

Connections are the trap. If you connect through the United States, you clear customs at the first US airport and go through security again before your next flight. Duty-free liquids over 100 ml carried in the cabin must be moved into your checked bag before that screening. Similar rules apply at some European and Caribbean hubs; ask your airline.

Shop prices versus airport prices. Local supermarkets and distillery shops often sell Grenadian rums for less than the airport. The airport is convenient for a last bottle, but do not assume it is cheaper.

Packing bottles so they arrive intact

Checked bags are thrown, stacked and squeezed. A little care avoids a suitcase full of broken glass and rum-soaked clothes.

1. Check every cap is tight, and wrap a strip of tape around it to stop it working loose.
2. Seal each bottle in its own plastic bag, ideally a zip-lock or two bags knotted at the top, so a leak stays contained.
3. Wrap each bagged bottle in clothing, towels or a padded bottle sleeve. Socks pulled over the neck and a sweater around the body work well.
4. Pack bottles in the centre of the suitcase, surrounded by soft items, away from the edges, wheels and handle.
5. Use a hard-shell suitcase if you have one, and stand bottles upright if the case allows.
6. Weigh the bag. A one-litre bottle adds well over a kilo, and excess baggage charges can cost more than the rum.
7. Keep receipts handy in case customs at home asks about value.

Customs allowances at home

Once you land, your home country's rules decide how much you can bring in without paying duty. These change, and they depend on your age and residency, so check the official customs guidance before you fly. As a general guide at the time of writing: the United States allows adults aged 21 or over one litre of alcohol duty-free, with more permitted on payment of duty, though some states set their own limits. The United Kingdom allows four litres of spirits over 22% for travellers from outside Great Britain. The European Union generally allows one litre of spirits over 22% from outside the EU. Canada allows about 1.14 litres of spirits, subject to provincial rules.

Going over the allowance is usually legal as long as you declare the extra and pay the duty and tax due. Failing to declare is where people get into trouble. If you are buying for others, remember that allowances are personal; a group cannot pool them into one person's suitcase.

What else to know before you buy

Courier and postal services generally refuse to ship alcohol internationally, or do so only through licensed exporters, so carrying it in checked baggage is the practical option for most visitors. If you want a case or more, ask a distributor about export shipping, and expect paperwork and cost. Remember also that rum cakes and rum-soaked fruit are food products; they usually travel without problem, but still declare them if asked about food.

Finally, think about the bottle you will actually drink. A 69% overproof is a great story and an excellent punch base, but many people at home find it too fierce to enjoy neat. An aged Grenadian rum for sipping and one overproof for mixing makes a sensible pair, well within most allowances and the airline limit.

Mistakes seen again and again at departure

Most confiscated or broken bottles come down to a handful of avoidable errors.

• Packing the 75% Rivers because it was the bottle you enjoyed at the distillery. Buy the 69% to take home.
• Opening a bottle to taste it and then packing it. Spirits between 24% and 70% must be in unopened retail packaging to fly under the airline rules.
• Carrying a town-bought bottle to security in hand luggage, assuming a souvenir is an exception. It is not.
• Opening the duty-free bag before a connection, then losing the bottle at the next security check.
• Forgetting the weight and paying excess baggage that costs more than the rum.
• Bringing home-made rum punch or decanted rum in a water bottle. It has no proven strength and no retail seal.
• Not declaring bottles over the allowance at home. Declaring and paying duty is routine; being caught undeclared is not.

Frequently asked questions