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FRENCH ANTILLES / Martinique, the baba of rum
FRENCH ANTILLES / Martinique, the baba of rum
Rum means serious business in Martinique! As well, over the the past few years many of the plantations have opened up to visitors, in the same manner as the much-visited wine estates elsewhere in the world.
Text : Didier Forray - Photos : Patrick Forget
Text : Didier Forray - Photos : Patrick Forget
In Martinique, the fields of sugar cane stretch out as far as the eye can see and the island counts 7 distilleries still in operation. Each estate has its museum and offers an informative tour that retraces the different steps in the making of rum, from the crushing of the sugar cane to the ageing in oak casks, without forgetting the distillation process itself.
In Saint-Marie, the Saint-James distillery goes even farther, inviting its visitors to sally forth across the sugar cane fields aboard an authentic Davenport train. Just as enjoyable is one of the oldest estates in Martinique: the Habitation Clément in Le François. The tour is a veritable journey in time and the Creole plantation house regularly houses exhibitions by Caribbean artists.
Not to be missed either is the impressive steam engine at the La Favorite distillery, not far from Fort de France. The machine, dating from 1906, is not there just for the folklore aspect: the factory produces approximately 500,000 litres or rum each year! And every tour ends with a tasting of the rum… to consume, of course, with moderation.
In Saint-Marie, the Saint-James distillery goes even farther, inviting its visitors to sally forth across the sugar cane fields aboard an authentic Davenport train. Just as enjoyable is one of the oldest estates in Martinique: the Habitation Clément in Le François. The tour is a veritable journey in time and the Creole plantation house regularly houses exhibitions by Caribbean artists.
Not to be missed either is the impressive steam engine at the La Favorite distillery, not far from Fort de France. The machine, dating from 1906, is not there just for the folklore aspect: the factory produces approximately 500,000 litres or rum each year! And every tour ends with a tasting of the rum… to consume, of course, with moderation.