The Domaine l'Habitation du Simon is located between Le François and Le Vauclin in the heart of a sugar cane plantation. It is an 18th-century building that still lives to the rhythm of harvests and rum production.

A1710 rum is produced on site. You might think that 1710 is the year this rum was born, but that's not the case. It's the latest brand to arrive in Martinique, and its rum was only launched in 2016!

In 2006, Yves Assier de Pompignan embarked on an ambitious project: to create a new rum distillery imbued with the history and richness of the Caribbean terroir. With the help of a determined and passionate team, he took over the Habitation du Simon to set up his rum brand.

In 2010, the decision was made to launch the project, and work began on selecting the fine aged rums to be used in the blends. An aging cellar previously used for cognac production was introduced, and a laboratory was set up at the Habitation. The first selections of rums, then aged between 6 and 11 years, were put back into French oak barrels of 320 liters for further aging.

At the same time, with the aim of setting up an innovative, high-quality, traditional distillery, they opted for a Charentais still made entirely of copper, complete with a 7-plate column and temperature-controlled fermentation vats allowing for long fermentation periods in order to obtain rums with strong aromatic potential.

After several years of setting everything up and completing the administrative procedures, De Pompignan and his team obtained authorization to open their distillery for the production of agricultural rums, the last rum distillery founded in Martinique.

Work began on the rum distillery, which was set up in an old 18th-century purgerie (a type of distillery) in the heart of the estate. The house was also refurbished to accommodate visits and tastings.

The new A1710 distillery was inaugurated in 2016 at Habitation du Simon.

In 2023, a second still, almost identical to the first one installed in 2015, was introduced. It allows us to push even further in our quest for aromatic excellence and quality in A1710 rums. The cane wine will therefore continue its ritual of double distillation.

List of A1710 rums:

• White rums
• Aged rums
• Limited editions
• Organic rums
• Rums aged in wood

The Hardy distillery is located in Tartane, facing Anse de la Brêche and near the Caravelle Peninsula. It is undoubtedly one of the lesser-known distilleries in Martinique. Yet it produces a historic rum of the island, born in 1830 when the estate—then called “La Grâce”—was renamed “Habitation Sucrerie Tartane.” At the time, it included a residence, industrial buildings, sugarcane plantations, and a windmill, which can still be admired from the roadside.

A few years later, Émilien Bonneville, a wealthy landowner from the Tartane region, decided to purchase the estate.

In 1880, in a habitation that had previously produced only sugar, Bonneville installed a steam engine to begin distilling rum. Martinique was then in the midst of a sugar crisis, and many distilleries had turned to rum production.

He later passed the estate on to his daughter Clémence, who was married to Gaston Hardy des Sources.

In 1905, the estate was officially transferred to Gaston Hardy, who gave it its name: “Rhum G Hardy Tartane.” His rum was distinguished and won several medals in mainland France. Although the distillery was devastated by two fires, it was fully restored by his son—also named Gaston—who was an engineer.

In 1955, Gaston Hardy Jr. became the owner. To boost the brand’s reputation, he created the famous Rhum Paille, aged for 12 to 18 months in oak barrels. This helped solidify Hardy’s renown.

In the 1970s, he personally oversaw the renovation and modernization of the production facilities, including the windmill mechanism, a concrete chimney, a distillation column, and an automatic feed belt that he built himself.

He passed away in 1990, and the distillery continued operating until 1994.

His heirs took over and transferred production to the Saint-James distillery in Sainte-Marie. Hardy rum is now produced according to the strict standards of the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.). A boutique at the entrance of the original site offers tastings and sells the full range of Hardy rums. Production remains limited (120,000 bottles), and distribution is local only.

Over time, the buildings suffered damage from humidity, but public authorities launched a fundraising campaign to restore the site. Some buildings are currently undergoing renovation, but this historic location remains open to visitors.

On May 8, 1902, the Depaz family disappeared during the eruption of Mount Pelée, which also destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre. The only member of the Depaz family to escape the tragedy was Victor Depaz, then a young student living in Bordeaux, where he was studying. Once he had completed his studies, Victor Depaz, now an orphan and penniless, returned to Saint-Pierre to the Habitation Périnelle, where he had been born in 1886.

On the symbolic date of May 8, 1917, 15 years after the eruption, Victor Depaz bought the 521 hectares of fallow land at Habitation Pécou from the d'Aurigny family and started up the distillery he had built to crush the cane he was planting on the slopes of Mount Pelée.

He began construction of “Château Depaz,” a replica of Habitation Périnelle, where he had spent his childhood. He moved there with his wife and eight children in 1923. He would have eleven children in total.

Depaz rum won its first medal at the Marseille exhibition in 1922, then again in 1927 and 1931.

The reputation for quality of Depaz rum grew year after year under the leadership of Victor's sons, first Henri Depaz, then, from 1986, his twin brother André.

In 1989, André Depaz joined forces with the Bordeaux-based family group Bardinet, a long-standing customer of the Depaz Distillery, and continued the work begun by Victor Depaz, first with Bardinet and later with the new owner of La Martiniquaise.

Trois Rivières is a distillery located in the commune of Sainte-Luce, in the district that shares its name, about 5 km from the town center. The estate spans approximately 600 hectares, including 120 hectares where sugarcane is cultivated in rotation with cattle farming. However, the distillery has not been active since 2003. The brand is now managed by the La Mauny distillery in Rivière-Pilote. A windmill is said to have once stood on the Trois Rivières site.

Trois Rivières white agricultural rum is available in 50°, 55°, and 62° proofs. These rums carry the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) designation.

The Habitation Trois Rivières, also known as Habitation Grand Céron, was once the property of Nicolas Fouquet (1615–1680), Superintendent of Finances for the Kingdom and protégé of Cardinal Mazarin. Before his downfall and imprisonment by order of Louis XIV, Fouquet had built a sugar refinery on the site, along with an annexed distillery—remnants of which still exist today.
It was during the 19th century that the Céron estate was relocated to its current site.

Visitors can choose between a free self-guided tour and a paid guided tour that includes a tasting. There is also a boutique where guests can purchase branded items such as glassware sets, rum gift boxes, and other Trois Rivières merchandise.

The La Mauny distillery was founded in 1749. It takes its name from Count Ferdinand Poulain, the Count of Mauny, who settled in Martinique in the early 18th century. Originally, the La Mauny estate was dedicated to sugar production, but it successfully weathered the sugar crisis by shifting toward the production of agricultural rum around the mid-20th century.

The property was acquired by brothers Théodore and Georges Bellonnie. In the 1970s, Théodore Bellonnie partnered with the Bourdillon families to form the Rhums La Mauny company. The company was renamed Bellonnie Bourdillon et Successeurs (BBS), which also owns the Trois Rivières and Duquesne brands.

Since then, Trois Rivières and Duquesne rums have been produced at the La Mauny distillery. During the guided tour, you’ll discover how La Mauny’s various rums are made, from fresh cane juice to bottling. A tasting of different rums and punch varieties is also offered.

At the end of the tour, you can visit the shop to purchase rum or brand-related products from La Mauny, Trois Rivières, and Duquesne. You’ll also find punch made with La Mauny’s different rums.

To get there, head toward Rivière-Pilote via the N8. Signage will guide you to the distillery from there.

La Favorite distillery was born in 1842 between Fort-de-France and Lamentin under the name of "Distillery Jambette", named after the river that fed it.

Its name was changed in 1851 by its owner, Charles Henry, in reference to an anecdote. Indeed, Joséphine de Beauharnais would have offered a bottle of rum from Habitation Jambette to Napoleon at the beginning of the First Empire, and she would say "This is my favorite liquor".

The estate has belonged to the Dormoy family for three generations. The estate, which has experienced ups and downs in its history due to periods of prosperity followed by more difficult times, was even a sugar factory at one point before becoming a distillery again.

Today, La Favorite is one of the last remaining family-owned and independent distilleries. It offers a wide variety of rums, including white rum, amber rum, and aged rum.

Located in the rural area of Trois-Ilets in the La Ferme neighborhood, Savane des Esclaves is a 2-hectare park created by Gilbert Larose.

Without any financial assistance and on his own initiative, Gilbert Larose first cleared the area and rebuilt an “Antan Lontan” village, complete with dwellings and the lifestyle of the “nèg-mawon,” slaves who had fled the plantations to take refuge on the hills and lived independently.

He also planted bananas, Chinese cabbage, sweet potatoes, and cassava. The guided tour lasts about an hour. It will take you back in time to discover Martinique's past and traditions.

During this guided tour, you will see wooden huts, medicinal plants, gardens, and birds, as well as a small museum dedicated to slavery. Activities (cassava and cocoa making, tastings, and concerts) are regularly offered on the theme of slavery and Martinique's past.

A shop sells the farm's produce, and to delight the little ones, they can buy ice cream and fruit juice there.

To get there, head towards Les Trois-Ilets and then follow the signs.

Photo credit: https://www.lasavanedesesclaves.fr

At the end of the 17th century, the famous “Father Labat” was the parish priest of the commune of Macouba. At that time, the house located on the banks of the Roche River was a sugar plantation.

In 1790, Antoine Leroux-Préville acquired it and gave it its current name, Fonds-Préville. In 1845, Antoine Leroux-Préville's daughters sold the property to Jean-Marie Martin, a merchant in Saint-Pierre and husband of Marie Ferment, daughter of a major plantation owner on the island.

Today, the Crassous de Médeuil heirs farm Martinique's three main crops: bananas (75 ha), pineapples (6 ha), and sugar cane (55 ha). It is the only farm to do so using crop rotation. The presence of these three crops and the JM distillery on the same farm is unique in Martinique and even in the Caribbean.

Since November 1996, Martinique's agricultural rums, including JM rums, have been awarded the Martinique Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation. The Bellevue estate has 150 hectares of arable land, all of which is AOC terroir.

Case à manioc is owned by the Ragald family. They will show you the cassava transformation process in kassav or cassava (great pancakes) and pelletized to prepare the local meal called féroce d'avocat (appetizer made with cassava flour, avocado and cod).

You can also savor it onsite. They also produce cassava flour that is then sold in different shops on the island.

To get there from the N1, take the D22 on the left and the "PFL" direction for more than a kilometer. The factory is located on the left, on a small, steep road.

Saint James rum is said to have originated in Saint-Pierre-de-la-Martinique in 1765. In utmost secrecy, Reverend Father Edmond Lefébure, superior of the Brothers of Charity convent and a learned alchemist, crafted a white spirit of unprecedented quality. This cane-based eau-de-vie was known as “guildive” or “tafia,” terms derived from the English expression kill-devil, once used to describe early rum.

In 1763, King Louis XV authorized Martinique to export its rum. At the time, the only permitted destination was New England — now part of the United States. In 1765, to facilitate its sale abroad, it was decided to give the rum a name with strong Anglo-Saxon resonance: “Saint James.”

In 1885, the “Saint James” brand was officially registered, along with its iconic square bottle — the first of its kind in the world. This innovative design allowed for easier storage in ship holds and reduced breakage during rough crossings. That same year, Saint James launched its first rum, relying on advertising to quickly build its reputation.

On May 8, 1902, the eruption of Mount Pelée destroyed the town of Saint-Pierre and the main site of Saint James. The Saint James Habitation was only partially damaged.

In 1974, all production was centralized at a single site in Sainte-Marie, where the distillery still operates today. The official inauguration took place on December 23, 1974, in the presence of Jacques Chirac, then Prime Minister.

A museum was established near the Habitation to trace the history of rum in Martinique, from its origins to its modern evolution.

Today, the Saint James distillery remains active. Its sugarcane plantations span nearly 300 hectares.

A must-see: hop aboard the “Train des Plantations,” an authentic vintage steam train offering a scenic ride through the Atlantic North, winding through sugarcane fields and banana plantations.