Habitation Clément
Habitation Clément looks back on over 130 years of heritage, which began with the purchase of the "Domaine de l'Acajou" by Homère Clément in 1887. The Rum distillery has been producing Caribbean Rhum Agricole on the east coast of Martinique in the municipality of Le François since 1917. Since 1986, the Clément brand has been owned by the Hayot family (GBH), who have continued the legacy of Rhum Clément ever since.
| Information about the Distillery | |
|---|---|
| Martinique, Caribbean | |
| -60.907161 14.602364 | |
| Active | |
| 1887 | |
| Homère Clément | |
| https://www.rhum-clement.com/en/ |
| Average tasting notes Tasting notes |
i
|
|
|---|---|---|
The Rum
Habitation Clément produces so-called Rhum Agricole. This Rum made from sugar cane juice is mainly produced in the French Antilles and in accordance with AOC rules. The Habitation's wide range includes various product lines, such as the Old Rums with the Clément Vieux VSOP Rhum and the Clément Vieux XO Rhum. The latter matures for at least six years in new oak barrels and former Bourbon barrels.
Clément also offers Rums from the Collection Tradition and Collection Moderne ranges, which include the Clément Créole Shrubb Orange Liqueur, for example. This orange liqueur combines the finest white and matured Agricole Rums with macerated Créole spices and sun-bleached bitter orange peel.
For the Canne Bleue Iconique range, only the juice of a single type of sugar cane, the blue sugar cane, is distilled.
Clément's wide range is completed by cuvées such as the Cuvée Homère Clément, vintage Rums and limited editions. In addition, numerous fruit punches can also be purchased from the Habitation.
The Production
The Habitation Clément estate extends over 160 hectares and includes the centrally located Creole main house, the park with sugar cane plantations, the Rum distillery and the warehouses.
The Distillation
Habitation Clément has not been distilling itself since 1988. Instead, the sugar cane is processed at another distillery and the freshly pressed sugar cane juice is distilled there. However, storage and bottling still takes place on the estate in Le François.
The Warehouses
The distillery has six warehouses (called Chai in French), four of which are open to the public and can be visited: Chai Homère Clément, Chai Charles Clément, Chai Georges-Louis Clément and Chai Jean-José Clément. In total, more than two million litres of Rum are stored in around 12,000 barrels in Clément's warehouses. Bourbon barrels are used for 85 per cent of this. The remaining 15 per cent is made up of French oak, Wine and Cognac barrels.
After distillation, the Rum is slowly reduced for six to eight months in oak tanks with a capacity of 12,000 to 58,000 litres. This means that the alcohol content is gradually reduced by adding pure water. After this reduction period, the white Rum can be bottled directly, while the later old Rum continues to mature in the selected barrels.
The History
The history of the distillery, formerly known as Domaine de l'Acajou, dates back to the 19th century when Homère Clément, a doctor and farmer, began growing sugar cane on his estate. The distillery was founded in 1917 and taken over by Homère's son Charles Clément after his death in 1923. In 1973, Charles' sons - Georges-Louis, Jean-José and Marcel-André - succeeded him. The Hayot family, which has close ties to the Clément family and is behind the Martinique-based company GBH (Groupe Bernard Hayot), took over the distillery in 1986 and continued the legacy of Rhum Clément in their spirit. It was only at this time that the distillery was renamed Habitation Clément in honour of the former owner family. The old distillery had to be closed in 1988 due to disrepair, but it was converted into a Rum production museum and opened to visitors.
Over the years, international meetings have also been held here, such as the Franco-American summit in 1991, when Presidents Mitterrand and Bush were hosted at the plantation.
The Habitation Clément has been a listed building since 1996. In 2003, the main house and the outbuildings were completely restored.
The Visitor Centre
The distillery offers guided tours of its facilities, where visitors have the opportunity to experience the entire production process and taste the different types of Rum. The old distillery building and all the decommissioned machines were restored for this purpose in 2005 and converted into a large Rum museum. Set out on several levels, it is possible to have a look at the machines from above. A history room with an olfactory journey is also available to visitors.
Guests can also visit the extensive botanical gardens, sit down for a picnic there or by the ponds with water features and view the changing exhibitions of local Caribbean artists in the galleries on the estate. The huge shop offers the opportunity to sample and, of course, purchase all of Clément's bottlings.
Distillery Adress:
Habitation Clément
Domaine de l'Acajou
Le François 97240
Martinique
Tel: +596 596 546207
User Notes about the Distillery
Share your experience with other whisky lovers. Write a note about your trip to the Habitation Clément distillery.