You will be hard pushed to find the La Favorite Rhum distillery in Martinique. Despite its rural; appearance in photographs it is in fact very near the city of Fort de France and as such makes it an easy day trip for vrew and guests whose yacht is docked in town.
Located in Le Lamentin, it is one of the few family-owned distilleries on the island.
It is an odd mix of rustic charm and steam engines that date back to 1905. Everyone here has their sleeves rolled up, or their shirts off, and are immersed in this frozen-in-time rhum making process which is done more by brute force than finesse.
Their output is dwarfed by such giants as Rhum St-James or Rhum Clement, and so they often get overlooked.
Cane is brought in from the family’s own fields and a very select few of their friends. It is crushed and pulverised by the old steam engine long past its sell by date and wheezing steam from every orifice to extract the juice of the cane. The leftover by product is called bagasse, and it is set aside and dried and becomes the fuel that fires the engine in the season that follows.
The family have been making rhum like this for decades
La Favorite’s white rhum is Coeur de Canne (50% abv, 100 proof), it is rested for 18 months after distillation which helps smooth the edges. This same spirit is used as the foundation for all of La Favorite’s aged products.
The Rhum Agricole Vieux Coeur de Rhum (40% abv, 80 proof) is a three year old rhum which is aged in a combination of ex-bourbon and ex-whiskey barrels.
These and even older and smoother rums can be tasted free of charge in the small boutique and for those who like the taste bottles are available for sale.
