St. James

The origins of Saint James date back to 1765, when the first spirit was produced at Habitation Trou Vaillant; the commercial name Saint James was registered in the 19th century. Production developed around Saint‑Pierre until the 1902 eruption; it was later consolidated at the present estate in Sainte‑Marie. In the 1970s the Cointreau group acquired the brand and in 2003 Saint James became part of the La Martiniquaise group. In recent decades the company has highlighted its collection of millésimes, opened the Maison de la Distillation and restored Habitation La Salle to promote the history of Martinique rhum agricole.

Highlighting Martinique's terroir and the identity of rhum agricole: producing rhum from pure sugarcane juice (vesou), preserving vintages and historic cuvées, and communicating the link between cane cultivation, tradition and targeted aging.

Martinique (French overseas department) — production and cellars located in Sainte‑Marie; production is closely linked to the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée 'Rhum Agricole Martinique'.

Typical rhum agricole production: use of vesou (fresh sugarcane juice) as the raw material, fermentation and subsequent distillation on columns (creole columns / continuous distillation). Part of the range is subject to aging in the company's cellars in Sainte‑Marie.

Continuous column distillation (creole columns), typical of rhum agricole.

Aging in dedicated cellars in Sainte‑Marie; for aged cuvées oak barrels are used and specific finishing practices are applied to each expression (some cuvées and millésimes are long-aged, others are 'brut de fût').