The French Antilles have a long tradition in the production of rum and the cultivation of sugar cane. Even today you can still find sugar cane fields in Martinique, Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. While Marie-Galante is home to smaller businesses, Guadeloupe and Martinique in particular are often home to industrial production. In Marie-Galante, around 20 % of the island's surface area is covered with sugar cane and there are over 2000 sugar cane producers. This is certainly the sugar cane island par excellence. We recommend a combination of a round trip on the 3 islands for professional visitors, as each island has its own (flavour) note. If you have less time, we can organise the trip à la carte according to your wishes. The sugar cane harvest starts at the end of January and can last until July.

This journey is not about an optimal tank experience until the level is reached and the sun sets during the day. Rather, as with wine, we endeavour to sample the many facets of a fine drink. We visit various distilleries and family businesses in Guadeloupe (e.g. Domaine du Séverin near Sainte-Rose, Damoiseau near Le Moule, Montebello near Petit Bourg), Marie-Galante (e.g. Bellevue) and Martinique (e.g. Depaz near Saint-Pierre or Clément near Le Francois or J. M. near Macouba). Museums will tell you about the history of sugar cane and the "cultivation of glory". In addition to an attractive supporting programme, there is also time to swim and relax.

With around 10 distilleries and several bottling plants, Martinique is the rum destination "par excellence" in the Lesser Antilles. In addition to the "Rhum agricole" (clear rum produced from sugar cane juice. This results in a more fruity flavour. Higher quality, lower proportion of production: approx. 5 % ), there is the "rhum vieux" produced from molasses (by-product of sugar production, industrial process) and other varieties, which are classified according to two criteria (storage and production process), e.g. vintage rum "millesime" or "hors d'age", "très vieux" old rum with 10 - 15 years. In Guadeloupe, the distilleries are now mainly located on the eastern side of Basse-Terre and the sugar cane island of Marie-Galante (3 distilleries). On Grande Terre in the "Grands Fonds", a main cultivation area, there is only one distillery. The rum in Martinique is somewhat sweeter due to the volcanic soil. Who still distils traditionally and who has switched to the modern method with the column system?  Who doesn't chop the sugar cane before pressing? These details are important for quality. We can advise you and organise your tour from/to the airport.

The Poisson distillery on Marie-Galante produces under the brand name Labat. The Dominican Père Labat modernised distilling methods in the Antilles in the 18th century. This distillery produces a maximum of 300,000 litres per year, most of which is consumed in Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante. The distillery can look back on around 100 years of uninterrupted distilling, making it the oldest distillery on the island. As is usual on Marie-Galante, sugar cane is purchased from local producers despite the extensive estate. Both old stills (pot still method) and modern column still distillers are used.

Around 1900, there were around 100 distilleries in Guadeloupe. Today there are still 10, including one factory. 8 family businesses and 2 distilleries that belong to belong to larger companies. This is the difference to Martinique, where there is a lot of industrial production. The Bonne Mère distillery near Lamentin is the only distillery in Guadeloupe that produces industrially and only from molasses.

The Longeteau distillery dates back to the end of the 19th century. This makes it the oldest distillery in Guadeloupe to be in continuous operation. This distillery, which has been in the family for 4 generations, only uses its own sugar cane, not bought in.  You can shop at Longeteau and there are also guided tours for tourists. Booking is also recommended for individual visitors. Guided tours are available on request for trade visitors. Both white rum and dark rum are produced, much of it agricole, but also molasses. This brown rum gets its colour from being stored in oak barrels. The white, so-called "overproof" rum, with its high alcohol content of more than 60 %, is ideal for distilling and mixing cocktails. Some of the brown rum is stored in oak barrels that previously held cognac. This results in a particularly spicy flavour during longer storage. The so-called "séries limitées" for special occasions are highly sought after by connoisseurs.

The Karukera distillery also dates back to 1895 and is located not far from the Longeteau distillery. It also belongs to the Longeteau family. Only one other brand, Karukera rum, is produced. Around 230,000 litres of white and Vieux Rhum, with an alcohol content of around 50%, are produced each year and around 40,000 visitors are received. The percentage of Vieux Rhum has been greatly increased since 2006. It is therefore a useful addition to Longeteaurum.

Damoiseau, on the Bellevue estate not far from La Moule, is the only remaining distillery on the largely flat Grande Terre part of the island, which is also characterised by its many windmills. Production dates back to the end of the 19th century and was sold by the owners from Martinique in 1942 to the Damoiseau family, who are now the third generation of the family to produce. The products are sold through the Spiridom trading company, the Bernard Hayot Group, together with the Clément distillery from Martinique. Damoiseau produces around 50% of its rum in Guadeloupe. Sandrine Damoiseau organises the tours herself and her siblings Hervé and Jean-Luc take care of the production. The "Carrrère" distillery produces under the brand name Montebello in the municipality of Petit Bourg. Montebello is a small distillery near Petit-Bourg that dates back to 1930. Only sugar cane from the surrounding area is used and the third generation of Grégory and Dominique Marsolle produce very good rhum agricole.

Pyrat rum came from Anguilla. However, it is now produced in Guyana. So we now only have distilleries in St Kitts and Antigua. However, the breadth cannot be compared with Guadeloupe or Martinique. In addition, sugar cane is only bottled in Antigua and is no longer grown there. Beautiful is not taxed in St Kitts - a lot is distilled illegally here. There is also Belmont Rum, which is very well known in the region and is produced legally.

Sugar cane is used to produce sugar. There is a large factory in Guadeloupe and one in Marie-Galante. The factories can also be visited. This industry is very important in Guadeloupe.  Rum production is therefore not the most important product of sugar cane. The Gardel sugar factory on Grande Terre near Le Moule processes around 550,000 tonnes of sugar cane a year, which is around 80% of the sugar cane. The production of the Grande Anse company near Grand Bourg on Marie-Galante is estimated at around 100,000 tonnes. Gardel employs at least 800 people and is one of the largest agricultural businesses on the island.