Guadeloupe is home to many treasures. One of these treasures is rum, which the island has been producing for almost four centuries. Its production includes rhums agricoles and rhums traditionnels (also known as rhums industriels), rhums vieux, rhums blancs, rhums arrangés and rhums millésimés, although, unlike Martinique, it does not have an AOC. Rum is made from sugar cane grown on the island.
There were around fifty distilleries in the 1st half of the XXᵉ century. Today, there are nine. Most are located in Basse-Terre.
If you’re looking for a rum to sip after a day on a white sandy beach, follow our guide to the best rums in Guadeloupe! And don’t forget to save some room in your suitcase to bring home a few bottles of this delicious elixir.
Guadeloupe’s best rums in Grande-Terre
Damoiseau
Damoiseau is one of the largest rum distilleries in Guadeloupe. It was founded in the XIXᵉ century. It’s also a very popular tourist destination. Jean-Luc and Evre Damoiseau both want to make a visit to their distillery a memorable experience for anyone who takes the time to come and discover it on the butterfly-shaped eastern side of the island.
A highlight: Damoiseau is the only rum produced on Grande-Terre. Quite simply, it is Guadeloupe’s largest rum producer.
The company has preserved ancestral production techniques to preserve the excellence of exceptional Guadeloupean rum. It is a true leader in the island’s rum market, and is known as far afield as mainland France. His name will certainly be familiar to you.
To visit the distillery on your vacation in Guadeloupe, head for Le Moule. The traditional windmill has been renovated, and you can see the farm machinery of yesteryear in a park.
Guadeloupe’s best rums in Basse-Terre
Le Domaine de Séverin
Habitation Bellevue was originally a sugar mill. Today, it is internationally renowned for the quality of its Séverin rum production. Its distinctive feature is a rum rich in non-alcoholic elements. This gives it a unique, intense taste. Domaine Séverin ages its rum in barrels that have previously contained sherry, cognac or bourbon. This complexifies and enriches the elixir’s aromatic profile.
We recommend you try Séverin XO, judged to be one of Basse-Terre’s finest rums. It’s round, mellow and powerful, with vanilla and banana flavors.
Montebello Distillery
The Montebello rum distillery is located in Petit-Bourg. It produces a rum much appreciated by connoisseurs who dream of having tasted it at least once in their lives. The distillery’s dedication to crafting sublime vintages has forged Montebello’s image around the world.
We’d like to highlight Longueteau Montebello rum. This white rum will delight your taste buds and take you on a journey.
Bologna: emblem of rum from the Caribbean islands
Perhaps you’ve already heard these mythical names: Black Cane, Dark Sail, Grappe Blanche… These dreamy names refer to the great vintages of the Bologna distillery. This is a distillery whose prestigious reputation is well established, having won numerous awards at international competitions.
Bologna rums age extremely well, expressing the terroir effect that gives them increasingly complex aromas over the years. If you have the patience, these are excellent rums for laying down.
Longueteau rum from Domaine de Marquisat
Located in Sainte-Marie, Domaine de Marquisat is where Christopher Columbus landed in 1493. Right at the foot of the Soufrière volcano. The estate was bought by the Longueteau family at the end of the XIXᵉ century.
Since 2005, this distillery has had the distinction of making rum from sugar cane grown on its own land: red and blue cane. It’s the vesou (sugarcane juice) that gives Longueteau rum its distinctive flavor.
In Sainte-Rose, the Distillerie Reimonenq
The Reimonenq distillery was founded in 1916 in Sainte-Rose. It takes its name from the family of its founders. The company burned down in 1969, providing an opportunity to modernize. It was Reimonenq engineers who perfected a process for controlling heating temperatures, in order to eliminate anything that might impair the rum’s taste. This marked the birth of the rum known as “Cœur de Chauffe”, which draws between 60° and 70° when it leaves the stainless steel column still.
Distillerie Bielle in Marie Galante
Did you know that Marie Galante is nicknamed the island of 100 mills? It’s the cane island par excellence. The Bielle distillery perpetuates the tradition of an agricultural rum made from pure sugarcane juice, in compliance with environmental regulations. This is achieved thanks to a special method of treating vinasse. Today, the Bielle distillery produces 330,000 liters of agricultural rum and derived liqueurs.
What makes its rum so good is that it is aged in their own cellars. The distillery won no less than 3 gold medals in 2016 for two aged rums and the Bois Bandé liqueur.
If you’re on vacation in Guadeloupe, we recommend a visit to Maison Bielle. You’ll discover the old “sucrotte” and steam engines. But above all, we invite you to taste a Bielle aged rum that will send shivers of pleasure down your spine. You’ll feel the perfume of the Caribbean, the sensations of Marie-Galante. If paradise exists, it’s in a sip of Bielle rum.
