Rhum agricole

For most of Martinique's history rum was a by-product of sugar, distilled from molasses in simple pot stills. The AOC specification records the first cane-juice rums early in the nineteenth century at the Fonds Préville sugar works in Macouba, and medals for Martinique rhums agricoles at the 1855 Universal Exhibition.

The style grew after an overproduction crisis between 1884 and 1896, when many sugar estates could no longer compete and switched to rum made only from cane juice. At the same time continuous "Creole columns", adapted from French beet-alcohol stills, replaced batch stills. Producers formed a syndicate in 1895 to fight fraud with certificates of origin. Martinique's AOC was recognised by decree on 5 November 1996.

Cane comes from delimited parcels in the island's communes (islets excluded), harvested between 1 January and 31 August, with juice of at least 14 °Brix and pH 4.7. The juice is pressed cold, clarified without heating or liming, and fermented in batches in open vats of at most 500 hl for no more than 120 hours, to no more than 7.5 % vol. Adding syrup or molasses is forbidden.

Distillation runs from 2 January to 5 September in columns with a copper concentration section of 5 to 9 plates, to between 65 and 75 % vol.; rectification is banned. Blanc rests at least six weeks in tank; élevé sous bois spends at least 12 months in oak; vieux at least three years in oak casks under 650 litres (six years for a vintage). All must be at least 40 % vol.