SAINT JAMES - Millésime 1885 - 47%
Saint-James Distillery is located in Martinique. Its story begins with the Reverend Edmond Lefébure, who was then Father Superior at the convent of the Brothers of Charity and a chemist at heart. It wasn't long before he saw the potential of the cane sugar distilled in eaux-de-vie near his hospital and set out to make it himself. The story follows its course and in 1973, the Cointreau company acquired the Saint-James rums and brought together all production in Sainte-Marie. In 2003, Cointreau sold the distillery to La Martiniquaise, its current owner.
Saint James rum comes from the fermentation and the distillation in Creole column still of pure sugar cane juice. This production method, recognised as the AOC rum from Martinique, gives Saint James rums a multitude of aromas, perfectly suited to aging in oak barrels. No addition of sweetener is tolerated. Today, the distillery is committed to a sustainable economy, in order to minimise the impact on the environment. The sugar cane plantations, near the distillery, reduce the transport routes of the cane and therefore CO2 emissions. Bagasse, the fibrous residue of sugar cane after pressing its juice, is used as fuel to create the water vapours necessary for the operation of distillation columns and cane grinding mills. Another part of the bagasse will be placed in compost or transformed into electricity via a turbo-alternator. Finally, the vinasse (the liquid residue from the distillation) is treated to obtain water for irrigating the sugar cane fields.
The Saint James 1885 is an extremely rare bottle. The bottles were found by Luca Gargano in the 1980s.