Rhum from France...what to buy?

[The Squire]

Ok, so I have a good mate coming back from France soon and he can bring three bottles back with him to OZ,

Im keen to expand my palate to the agricoles...

So to the agricole lovers out there, What would you bring back? What are some special/ unique/ interesting examples of this style of 'rhum'? Anything out there that you can only get in the EU, that I should get to take advantage of this opportunity?

I already have a Clement 10ans from a previous trip..some of the barbancourt 8 yr which you can't get in Oz, spectacular stuff..

Are there any must haves?

[Michael]

The rums of Guadaloupe, as yet unencountered, have held a special fascination for some time. Given the chance, I'd look for something from Distilleries Bologne or Damoiseau. It would be particularly interesting to discover in what way Rhum Bologne, with its low distillation purity, differs from other agricoles.

[RobertBurr]

yes, rhums of Guadeloupe are intriguing. My current favorite is the sweet and strong Darboussier Hors d'Age. The Madras Creole Shrubb is also quite flavorful, among their many dozens of flavored rhums.

[Tiare]

I only have one agricole from Guadeloupe, its Montebello vieux, 6 ans. Its a very interesting rum with quite a sharp grassy flavor.

[mac]

I'd suggest he bring WINE....Liquor in France is expensive

[The Squire]

I think we have found the first candidate.. one of the Damoiseau rhums will be in the bag..

The Damoiseau website is worth a quick look if you can speak french.

They have a few nice photos of the production process, and they actually list all the operating distilleries in Guadeloupe... I think I've just found my target list. party2.gif Its going to be a Guadeloupian adventure. !!



http://www.damoiseau.com

"Neuf distilleries assurent la production de l’île.


1. GRANDE TERRE

Distillerie DAMOISEAU FRERES (le Moule)

1. BASSE TERRE

Distillerie REIMONENQ (Sainte Rose)
Distillerie SEVERIN (Saint Rose)
Distillerie MONTEBELLO (Petit-Bourg)
Distillerie LONGUETEAU (Capesterre)
Distillerie BOLOGNE (Basse-Terre)

1. MARIE-GALANTE

Distillerie BELLEVUE (Capesterre)
Distillerie POISSON (Grand Bourg)
Distillerie BIELLE (Grand Bourg)"

As for the wine...The maddening thing is we can buy really top notch French wine in Australia at good prices, hell, the wine my partner and I drink when in France (she is french), we can buy in Oz for cheaper..figure that one out! But I have never seen any of the agricoles down here..not a skerrick...I live amongst heathens.

Tally ho.

[RobertBurr]

As for the wine...The maddening thing is we can buy really top notch French wine in Australia at good prices, hell, the wine my partner and I drink when in France (she is french), we can buy in Oz for cheaper..figure that one out! But I have never seen any of the agricoles down here..not a scerrick...I live amongst heathens.

Scerrick? Is that Australian for Iota?

[The Scribe]

That's actually unsurprising. Irish whiskey is more expensive in Ireland than America, even Irish duty free. Scotch whisky was far, far more expensive in England than in her old colonies. I am not at all surprised to find it similar in France. It has, primarily to do with currency valuation. While it was often a similar or slightly lower cost in nominal currency, once you were thinking in US dollars, European euros and British pounds sterling, the conversion killed any bargains.
Cheers. - S

[The Squire]

Scerrick? Is that Australian for Iota?

spot on!..spelt correctly skerrick...;-)

Also, I have found almost no references to the rhum you mentioned. "Darboussier Hors d'Age" Do you know if it is available outside the US and the Islands?

[Hank Koestner]

I have had the opportunity to taste Damoiseau, Rhum Bologne and Pere Labat.
You will not be disappointed with Damoiseau, and Rhum Bologne is a favorite of mine for the Ti Punch. It has a big grassy, cane flavor, maybe not as polished as those from Martinique. You might also want to try an agricole from Martinique. There are some great ones available here in the US, you might want to try to find something that is not found here, like J Bally, or if you can find Neisson XO, it will be pricey but worth it. Another I like that is not found here in the US is Clement 10 ans d'age.

[The Squire]

I have had the opportunity to taste Damoiseau, Rhum Bologne and Pere Labat.
You will not be disappointed with Damoiseau, and Rhum Bologne is a favorite of mine for the Ti Punch. It has a big grassy, cane flavor, maybe not as polished as those from Martinique. You might also want to try an agricole from Martinique. There are some great ones available here in the US, you might want to try to find something that is not found here, like J Bally, or if you can find Neisson XO, it will be pricey but worth it. Another I like that is not found here in the US is Clement 10 ans d'age.

Now the Clement 10 ans is one of the few Agricoles I have had the pleasure of owning.. I picked this up in Paris this year at the Salon International de l'Agriculture (the International Agricultural fair). http://www.salon-agriculture.com/.

If you have the chance to attend this should really be a must, if only for the fact that most of the french colonies are represented and you will have the opportunity to taste a huge amount of agricoles... as well as ti-punch and planteurs galore.. (yes it was a long long day)gzzg

Martinique was well represented, the Neissons, Clement, j Bally, JM Rhum.. a few small ones like Bologne (which I didn't try and now wish I did after reading your posts on the blanc)...alot of the reunion island labels..some mauritius numbers....quite a few others that I cannot remember through the haze...

Buying from the stand was great value as well...I got the Clement for 40 euros..

The first problem is the Salon is conducive to drinking and not tasting if you know what I mean, so remembering what was what has proved challenging.

The second problem is trying to ship the bottles home..if you can at all. Because of the customs taxes coming back to OZ, Im stuck with what i can fit in the luggage. :mad:

[Edward Hamilton]

The rums of Guadaloupe, as yet unencountered, have held a special fascination for some time. Given the chance, I'd look for something from Distilleries Bologne or Damoiseau. It would be particularly interesting to discover in what way Rhum Bologne, with its low distillation purity, differs from other agricoles.

Actually all of the rhum agricole from the French islands is distilled to about the same purity - 72 %abv.

[Michael]

Actually all of the rhum agricole from the French islands is distilled to about the same purity - 72 %abv.

Perhaps I misunderstood, but I was going by the following description of Distillerie Bologne in the Rum Index of this website:

"Bologne is unique in that the rhum is distilled to only 55є to 60є. This allows more of the flavor of the cane juice to come through in the finished product. The low distillation purity also requires careful quality control of the cane, the fermentation process, and the trained fingers of the distiller or maоtre rhumier. Cane cut from a burned field, for instance, would negatively affect the taste of the finished product."

Perhaps that is dated information, but I await clarification.

[Hank Koestner]

Ah, my mistake, Scribe. I did not pay attention the the fact that you were from Sydney, my apologies.HMMR I do not know what agricoles are available to you, but now Neisson and La Favorite move to the top of the list. The event in Paris sounds like it would be excellent for those of us who like agricoles. So,I would obviously do quite a bit of tasting..... drooling2.gif

[krustykrab]

How widely available are agricoles in France, both from Martinique and Guadeloupe? Are they all over the country, easy to find - in liquor stores or just markets? Is ti punch a common drink in France, or just the French Islands?

The reason I was asking is a friend just got back from Italy and he was looking for Karukera rhum agricole and could not find it anywhere...

...and I may be be going over to Fr in a month or so... just curious, and interested in possibly picking up some new / unique agricoles!

[Michael]

Does the Rhum Bologne info predate the Guadaloupe effort to obtain an Agricole Appellation? Did the distillation purity change as a result of standardization, or for other reasons?

[The Squire]

Well, I got bit excited yesterday over this whole discussion and the only solution was to head out for a bit of rum tasting..

Low and behold I find the my local rum bar had the Damoiseau Rйserve Spйciale 42...yesssssss.

Spot on Hank, what a delightful number. I much prefer it to the clement 10ans d'age I think..

Also had a very interesting rum flight, we put the Pyrat Cask against the Sea Wynde and the Flor de Cana 15yr old.

I was shocked at how whiskey-like the Sea Wynde was, and blown away by the Pyrat Cask..what a fabulous rum...

I think im going to have to commit some piracy to get my hands on a bottle..

The Flor de Cana was definately enjoyable as well, but i think it was left flat footed after the Cask and the Sea Wynde...

[marsupouse]

Rhums agricoles from Martinique or Guadeloupe are easily findable in every supermarket, but i will not find all the rums in just one supermarket.
You will surely need to visit a couple of supermarket to find all you want.

Carrefour (supermarket name) is a good place to start, it has a lot a different rums, even my favorites : Bologne, Montebello...

Some are harder to find like pere labat...

Hope this will help :)

bye

[Michael]

Rhums agricoles from Martinique or Guadeloupe are easily findable in every supermarket, but i will not find all the rums in just one supermarket.
You will surely need to visit a couple of supermarket to find all you want.

Carrefour (supermarket name) is a good place to start, it has a lot a different rums, even my favorites : Bologne, Montebello...

Some are harder to find like pere labat...

Hope this will help :)

bye

Can we make California an honorary dйpartment franзais with access to agricoles from Guadaloupe? We want Rhum Bologne in our local supermarket. :D

[marsupouse]

Great Idea :)
i think i will come visit this new departement really soon :)

ahhh why we always want what we don't have... i want sun and long beach :)
and a glass of bologne of course !

[RobertBurr]

I have found almost no references to the rhum you mentioned. "Darboussier Hors d'Age" Do you know if it is available outside the US and the Islands?

I believe Darboussier is only available in Guadeloupe. I was given a bottle by Charles Alkhal of Imex LLC in Boca Raton as we discussed importing and distribution issues in Florida. He also told me of a very rare and precious 24 year old version of that rum. I am very impressed with these rums of Guadeloupe.

[Edward Hamilton]

Perhaps I misunderstood, but I was going by the following description of Distillerie Bologne in the Rum Index of this website:

"Bologne is unique in that the rhum is distilled to only 55є to 60є. This allows more of the flavor of the cane juice to come through in the finished product. The low distillation purity also requires careful quality control of the cane, the fermentation process, and the trained fingers of the distiller or maоtre rhumier. Cane cut from a burned field, for instance, would negatively affect the taste of the finished product."

Perhaps that is dated information, but I await clarification.

After checking my notes I will confirm that the above is true according to my interviews at the distillery a few years ago. This is unique as all of the other distillers distill their rhum agriocle to about 70% abv.

[krustykrab]

Just got back from a week on business in Avignon, France (yeah, yeah, I know it's a tough job, but somebody has to do it...!!):D

Anyway, Ti punch was on the menu just about everywhere! Tasty!!

As was mentioned earlier, agricoles from gaudeloupe and martinique are available in the supermarkets, although the selection was not great. There were mainly cheap, probably nasty, generic rhums, such as negrita, spoken about on the main page here recently (glad I avoided that one!)

But I did manage to find a blanc Pere Labat (from Marie Gallant, guad.), the 55% agricole blanc from Dillon (Martinique) (a 50% version was also available), and the Montebello 15 ans. Saw a J. Bally 3 ans, which I wish I would have bought now as well. Havana club and Bacardi were the only 'reg' rums seen around. And, of course, drank LOTS of fabulous local wines! It was fun - can't wait to try my new acquisitions!

[gatomalo]

As was mentioned earlier, agricoles from gaudeloupe and martinique are available in the supermarkets, although the selection was not great. There were mainly cheap, probably nasty, generic rhums, such as negrita, spoken about on the main page here recently (glad I avoided that one!)

Despite the rum tradition of the French Caribbean, France is a major let-down when it comes to rum. Rum enjoys secondary importance behind wine, cognac and liqueurs. Consequently, it can be hard to find anything more than just a poor selection of bog standard agricoles and the usual suspects like Bacardi, Havana Club and of course the notorious Negrita. If you want to find anything more than this, then you will have to do your homework and go out of your way, especially outside of the major cities.

[The Squire]

Despite the rum tradition of the French Caribbean, France is a major let-down when it comes to rum. Rum enjoys secondary importance behind wine, cognac and liqueurs. Consequently, it can be hard to find anything more than just a poor selection of bog standard agricoles and the usual suspects like Bacardi, Havana Club and of course the notorious Negrita. If you want to find anything more than this, then you will have to do your homework and go out of your way, especially outside of the major cities.

Ah, to be sure wine will always be the swarthy swashbuckler of France, and other prima donnnas like brandies and cognacs will continue to hog the limelight, but underneath the skin, Paris is full of the carribean spirit, with a fine range of rums and rhums in the deli's, specialty shops, the small bottle shops, and some great little bars that pride themselves on select cocktails, extensive choice and the tinkle of carribean accents to serve you.

And if your search is fruitless, take heart, you can always drown your sorrows in plenty of pastis, calvados and other local specialties that you just can't get anywhere else in quantity...

viva la france

party2.gif

[gatomalo]

Ah, to be sure wine will always be the swarthy swashbuckler of France, and other prima donnnas like brandies and cognacs will continue to hog the limelight, but underneath the skin, Paris is full of the carribean spirit, with a fine range of rums and rhums in the deli's, specialty shops, the small bottle shops, and some great little bars that pride themselves on select cocktails, extensive choice and the tinkle of carribean accents to serve you.

Indeed, Paris has everything! But unfortunately, the rest of France has very little.

[Cyrille]

You will find mos agricole whites in supermarkets but indeed not all chains have listed all brands.
When it comes to aged rums you'll have to go to liquor stores because they are not yet considered well enough to massively challenge scotch...
Check this small company in guadeloupe otherwise : http://www.planetrum.com But i don't know if they ship to the us ..

[rumdog007]

Welcome, Cyrille!glass.gif

Thank you for the information.

[RonJames]

welcome aboard cyrille, I'd never seen that site. Its amazing what you get for rhum sites when you go to yahoo france.

[Rumpelteazer]

Despite the rum tradition of the French Caribbean, France is a major let-down when it comes to rum. Rum enjoys secondary importance behind wine, cognac and liqueurs. Consequently, it can be hard to find anything more than just a poor selection of bog standard agricoles and the usual suspects like Bacardi, Havana Club and of course the notorious Negrita. If you want to find anything more than this, then you will have to do your homework and go out of your way, especially outside of the major cities.

Just back from a couple weeks in Paris. Must agree with gatomalo, rum selection there was disappointing, even in specialty liquor stores. Heavy on the bat and other low end swill, with only a couple of agricoles thrown in (Niesson, Dillon, etc.), and prices much higher than US.

Actually came home empty handed.

[Lйlй]

Hello everyone. I read these post and i think i can add something interesting. The supermarchйs in france have usually Rhum Agricole Blancs, sometimes Rhum ambrй or paillй. Normally they have the labels Saint-James, Dillon, Trois Rivieres, and some from Guadeloupe. The next time if you visit paris check out Tropical Marchй!!! It's a shop located in Saint-Ouen (part of paris), they have everything what a antilles fan needs :-) tropical fruits, souvenirs, confitures, everything freshly importet from Martinique and Guadeloupe. And of course Rhum:-) Neisson, Depaz, Trois Rivieres, La Mauny, Clement, JM, Dillon, St. Etienne (the old bottles!!!), St-James, and from Guadeloupe Bielle, Montebello, Bologne, Pere Labat, Reimonecq, Severin, from Reunion they have Charette. So everything a rum-lover needs! Blanc, Ambrй, Paillй, vieux, they have them all. Prices are also ok i think, blancs from 12 Euro - 24 Euro (Clement Canne bleue) and vieux from 23 Euro - ??? Euro.

Check the Shop out when you're in paris!

Tropic Marchй
2, rue Du Moutier
93400 Saint-Ouen

[leisure master]

Thanks for this great information!

Unfortunately, you posted the day I left for Paris and I was not able to log on to the internet while in Paris and I missed going here! However, I am sure my wife is pleased I missed your post because I would have spent way to much if I had found that place...

While in Paris I was able to pick up bottles of Damoiseau, Dillon and Chauvet...and somehow a couple of bottles of Havana Club Barrel Strength also managed to sneak into my bags...not sure how that happened.

[forrest]

Welcome to the for-rums Lйlй!

and thanks for the good info!!

[RonJames]

Welcome aboard Lele

[rumdog007]

Hello everyone. I read these post and i think i can add something interesting. The supermarchйs in france have usually Rhum Agricole Blancs, sometimes Rhum ambrй or paillй. Normally they have the labels Saint-James, Dillon, Trois Rivieres, and some from Guadeloupe. The next time if you visit paris check out Tropical Marchй!!! It's a shop located in Saint-Ouen (part of paris), they have everything what a antilles fan needs :-) tropical fruits, souvenirs, confitures, everything freshly importet from Martinique and Guadeloupe. And of course Rhum:-) Neisson, Depaz, Trois Rivieres, La Mauny, Clement, JM, Dillon, St. Etienne (the old bottles!!!), St-James, and from Guadeloupe Bielle, Montebello, Bologne, Pere Labat, Reimonecq, Severin, from Reunion they have Charette. So everything a rum-lover needs! Blanc, Ambrй, Paillй, vieux, they have them all. Prices are also ok i think, blancs from 12 Euro - 24 Euro (Clement Canne bleue) and vieux from 23 Euro - ??? Euro.

Check the Shop out when you're in paris!

Tropic Marchй
2, rue Du Moutier
93400 Saint-Ouen

Welcome! cheers.gif

....and thank you! I have a trip to Germany in June and will get to Paris to find that shop!

[manu_bud]

I recently purchased a white rhum originally from Guadeloupe (Longueteau) and it got me impressed for a 62% vol. rhum purchased for about 15 euros! It has strong grass flavors and a deep cane syrup smell. It is the best over 50% alc./vol. agricole I have ever tested (though I have little experience in rhum tasting). Does anyone else know Longueteau rhums and if so what do you think of them?

[marcomillions]

I'm a late joiner, but grateful for the suggestions in this thread.

Let me add two cents to the discussion. For opportunities for tasting rhums agricoles--most, though not all, from French departments or dependencies--I can't think of a better place than La Rhumerie, at 166 boulevard Saint-Germain, Paris 6e, at the Mabillon mйtro stop, where the rue du Four runs into the boulevard. This place has saved my life on several occasions, both in freezing weather and baking. You can check them out on line: http://www.larhumerie.com/

To see their list of rums, choose La Carte from the menu on top, then La Route de Rhum from the list on the Carte page, then click on the island you want to see the offerings from.

For serious selections of serious rums to purchase, I've had the most success at the Fauchon and Hйdiard mother ships on the place de la Madeleine. These shops are famous for a reason.