Rhum

A beautiful project that began in 2005 from the idea of Luca Gargano to produce a DIFFERENT rhum than all others known up to that point. After years of research in all of the Caribbean islands, Luca found just the right distillery: Distillerie Bielle of Dominique Thierry on the splendid island of Marie Galante, the last Caribbean island to only produce sugar cane. In 2006, after having brought over all of our equipment to Marie Galante (pot-stills, fermentation tanks, machinery), our first Rhum Rhum was distilled.

A Rhum that followed our rigorous production philosophy. Excellent raw materials, hand cut and brought to the distillery by bull-drawn “cabrouettes”, from which we extract the wholemeal juice of the cane from the first pressing (not watered down like is usually done), which ferments at a controlled temperature from 6 to 8 days without any added chemicals or acidulants. Lastly, the ferment gets distilled with our double bain-marie distillation. This process allows us to capture such fine, elegant, expressive aromas, peerless in the global Rhum Agricole market.

THE LINEUP

We offer Rhum Rhum both white and aged. Regarding the white, we chose to bottle the same product at two different ABVs: for the green label it’s been diluted to 41% vol., a classic for most white distillates and an optimal diluting for a more “technical” tasting. The orange label on the other hand is diluted to 56% vol., the “typical” ABV for many Rhum Agricoles, chosen because it pairs wonderfully in a C-Punch, our version of the Caribbean appetizer ‘Ti Punch, prepared with a small lemon or lime zest (the essential oils that these citrus produce pair gorgeously with the drink) and an ice cube to keep it fresh and slightly water down its alcoholic contents.

Just like the white one, aged Rhum Rhum is offered in two different ABV. The name “Liberation” calls back to a reborn freedom of the rhum from the barrels, with the label noting only the year of its “liberation” and not that of distillation. This rhum’s been aged in prestigious lightly toasted barriques, which have previously been used only once to ferment great French white wines (Bordeaux and Burgundy). The choice to carry out the ageing in a Caribbean climate is crucial to the important evaporation and subsequent oxygenation and transfer of the distillate from the wood. After the necessary time has passed for ageing, it’s reduced to 45 degrees with eau-du-ciel or directly bottled at full proof levels (cask strength) exactly how it leaves the barrel. The result is an elegant, profound and rich distillate, that expresses its essence in a superb manner, characterized by complex hints of sweet spices, tobacco, matured tropical fruit and the actions and knowledge of who created it. It’s the real rhum you’ve never tried before.

CHANGE OF LOCATION, SAME EXCELLENCE

The collaboration with Distillerie Bielle was interrupted after 12 years for spaces and other reasons but the adventure continued with a change of locations: we moved ourselves to another distillery, still in Marie Galante, where we bring forward the research project on old varieties of sugar cane present on the island to this day and its propagation. The Rhum Rhum project has since involved Velier which handles distribution in Italy, and us, who curate our foreign markets where we are present.