Depaz

The Depaz distillery is located near the town of Saint Pierre in Martinique, which was once the largest Rum port in the world. Victor Depaz founded his Rum distillery in 1917, just 15 years after the eruption of the Pelée volcano, which at the time destroyed the entire town at its feet.

Information about the Distillery
4 Bottles
Martinique, Caribbean
-61.165415 14.757575
Active
1917
Victor Depaz
https://depaz.fr/fr
Average tasting notes Tasting notes
Calculated from 22 Tasting Notes
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Nosing
Dried Fruit:
Sherry:
Dried Fruit:
Vanilla:
Sweet:
Vanilla:
Sweet:
Tobacco:
Fig:
Fruit:
Fruit:
Herb:
Fig:
Tobacco:
Herb:
Tasting
Sweet:
Sweet:
Vanilla:
Vanilla:
Chocolate:
Chocolate:
Nuts:
Date:
Hazelnut:
Date:
Oak:
Oak:
Sherry:
Hazelnut:
Spices:
Green Apple:
Nutmeg:
Fruit:
Honey:
Tobacco:
Spices:
Nuts:
Herb:
Honey:
Nutmeg:
Green Apple:
Tobacco:
Herb:
Finish
Spices:
Pepper:
Pepper:
Details about the Distillery

The Rum

The product range of Depaz Rhums Agricoles includes white Rums as well as matured Rums and special editions. The 'rhum vieux' Depaz Rhum VSOP 7 years was aged for seven years, although only four years would have been necessary for the designation VSOP (very old special pale). The Depaz Rhum XO 8 years matured for eight to ten years and thus just as easily fulfils the guidelines for the designation XO (extra old), according to which a Rum must be stored for at least six years. The special editions include the Depaz Rhum Port Cask Finish 8 years, which matured for at least eight years in small oak casks and then received its finish in port wine casks for eleven months.

The Production

The sugar cane for Depaz Rum is grown on the volcanic soils of the Montagne Pelée. Together with Martinique's good climate with plenty of sun and also rainfall, this provides optimal growing conditions for the sugar cane.

The harvest begins in February, when the sugar cane is just ripe enough. A sign of this are the sugar cane flowers, which look as if the fields are covered with white feathers. Immediately after cutting, it is ground to get as fresh a juice as possible. This is done in the traditional way with an old steam engine. To do this, the sugar cane is first irrigated with the extremely pure spring water from the Montage Pelée and then crushed. The result is a very sweet juice called 'vesou' and a fibrous residue called 'bagasse', which is used for energy production and composting. The extracted juice is filtered and sent for fermentation, which takes 48 hours at Depaz.

The Depaz Rums are distilled in a Column Still. The end result is white Rhum Agricole with an alcohol content of 70%.

The History

In 1651, Jacques Duparquet, the first governor of the island of Martinique, founded the agricultural estate La Montagne. The land was originally used to grow tobacco and indigo. Livestock was also raised here before sugar cane began to be cultivated. Along with several other families, Victor Depaz's family also farmed the estate. The resulting Rum production became increasingly successful, and the town of Saint Pierre became the world's first Rum port. It was therefore soon nicknamed the "little Paris of the Antilles". However, not much remained of the town after the eruption of the Montagne Pelée volcano in 1902 and Victor Depaz, who was studying in Bordeaux at the time, lost his entire family in the disaster. Back on Martinique, he decided to stay and set up a Rum distillery himself. This was put into operation in 1917. In addition, a family house was built on the estate, the Château Depaz, where Victor lived with his family.

In the 1950s, Victor's sons André and Raoul took over the company and carried out several modernisation measures.

The Visitor Centre

During a visit to the Depaz distillery, guests can learn everything about Rum production on a free tour with display boards or an audio tour. Afterwards, there is also the opportunity to taste different Rums in the shop. In addition, you can combine the excursion to Depaz with a walk through the five-hectare Depaz Park with its over 100-year-old trees and visit the Château Depaz or the Depaz Museum.

Visitor information

Distillery Adress:

Destillerie Depaz
Plantation de la Montagne Pelée
97250 Saint-Pierre
Tel: +596 596 786498

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