The Spirit of the Rum

Like different qualities of wine, you find different qualities of rum. What makes the difference is whether they have the spirit of the rum or not; that is the sugar-cane aroma embellished to its extreme refinement. You cannot find this particular spirit everywhere, because the sugar-cane has its favorite lands and climates : both ideal in Martinique. All the rest belongs to men’s skills. They are the only one who can make a great rum with all the faith, skills, love and tenacity required to compete with the best hard liquors.

But all the rums are not born equal.

Indeed, some manufacturers use a derivative sugar-cane product : molasses, a residue of the sugar manufacture. The alcohol resulting from its distillery is then enriched with strong aroma substances and a natural food coloring, the caramel. This « industrial rum » or « sugar-manufacture rum » is as much different from an agricultural rum as an ordinary wine from a great wine.

The agricultural rum is directly distilled from the « vesou », the delicious cane-juice that you drink just like that in the islands. After being filtered and decanted, the « vesou » spontaneously ferments for one or two days, before being distilled in alembics. The distiller gives it through his expertise and skills only known by himself, a balanced aroma. A bit of distilled water will bring the alcohol degree from 70° to its level of commercialization. The agricultural rum has another advantage, it ages in a better way and for a longer time than any other in those oak barrels from Limousin that will give him its golden-brown color and the inexpressible presence of a great alcohol. It does not matter if the evaporation reduces the quantity : for Saint-James, quality is priceless. When they come out of Martinique’s largest Saint-James wine stores, the various kinds of rum Ambré are carefully mixed together in order to refine their aromas just like one does with the cognacs.

THE RUM MUSEUM.

Opened in 1981, the rum Saint James museum presents the history of the agricultural rum in Martinique
It is situated in a very old colonial residence next to the Saint-James distillery that can also be visited.

To go to the Saint-James museum and distillery, take the RN1 to "Le robert", "La Trinité", and "Sainte Marie".
Open Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Aged for a short or longer time, bottled in France or the Caribbean, all the rums Saint-James come in the same square-shaped bottle than the one designed by the priests two centuries ago to facilitate their shipping on boats. So, while you are sailing the sea, if you find a square-shaped bottle, grab it, for sure it is a Saint-James.