Post #694062 by lunavideogames on Thu, Sep 19, 2013 7:33 PM

So I have been researching this all week. Here is an interesting quote from Ministry of Rum:

"In the US I have seen a lot of rhums that claim to be from Martinique but one taste denies their origin. Actually these rhums are made in Martinique but aren’t the carefully produced agricole rhums you will find here. To clear the confusion new regulations have been adopted by the distillers. Look for the words “Apellation d’Origine Contrôlée Martinique.” All rhum agricole bottled in Martinique after May 31, 1997 must carry these words on the label."

Also there are 16 distilleries that produce Martinique rums:

There are 9 sugar cane spirit distillers in this database from Martinique French West Indies.
Depaz Dillon J. M La Mauny Le Galion S.A.E.M. (Martinique) Neisson Rhumeries Duquesne Simon St James
There are also 7 companies in this database blending/bottling sugar cane spirits from Martinique French West Indies.
Clèment G. & P. Dormoy G. Hardy J. Bally rum madkaud Saint Etienne Trois Rivières

Here is a link to that page:

http://www.ministryofrum.com/countrydetails.php?c=53

Not a lot of info on Martinique rums on Wiki pages.But I did find this on Agricole Rhum:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhum_Agricole

They say 14 distilleries. But from the Ministry of Rum, seems like only 9 are actual Martinique rums from Martinique. Clement seems to not be distilled in Martinique, but uses cane from that region. I don't know if that means they are not "official" Martinique rums or not being that they are not distilled in Martinique.

I like the timeline on this website too:

http://www.rhumdemartinique.com/histoire_en.asp

I haven't found a Cachaca that I have liked yet, but people keep bringing over the ones that are not as good according to some other threads here that I have read.

On 2013-09-19 13:35, AdOrAdam wrote:
You maybe familiar with the idea that Coca Colas domination of the beverage market is due to the company's desire to put it 'within arms reach' of customers (i.e. you can get it everywhere).

The agricoles dominating the thread are: Niessen, Clement & Saint James. Are they popular because they are good or because they are 'within arms reach'?

I obtained a mini mai tai glass from Trader Vics London & have used it for neat rum combos to see if they lived up to the 'the sum is better than the individual parts'. They were OK but not knockout.

I am starting to think that they are popular because they are accessible. I have not tried Saint James yet, because I have not found a retailer for it. I am going to try this combo tonight and post how I like it (with my Neisson).

PS: As a standing offer, I would trade jobs with the Ministry of Rum guys anyday. I would love to live on a boat in the Carribbean and host rum tastings. Those guys have it made!!!