West African booze is becoming a luxury product

WEST AFRICA has long been a source of booze. In Yoruba mythology Obatala, a deity sent to create humans, stumbled on palm wine and fell into a drunken slumber before completing the task. Some of the world’s first rums were made by Africans enslaved in the Caribbean, who may have brought knowledge of local tipples with them. Yet today there are few African names in the global market for high-end spirits. Some entrepreneurs are trying to change that.