Medine

The distillery produces various types of Rum, including classic white, golden and brown Rum as well as premium editions. The distillery's aged rum, which is between three and ten years old, is made from molasses. There is also a small amount of clear Rum, distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice. The unmistakable flavour of Medine Rum results from the use of local sugar cane and a careful selection of ingredients.

The Medine distillery's molasses Rums include high-quality bottlings such as the Single Cask, VSOP and XO Rums. The Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritian Rum matures for at least 10 years in ex- Bourbon, Cognac and Whisky casks, while the Penny Blue VSOP Mauritian Rum, created by Medine's Master Distiller Jean-Francois Koenig and Doug McIvor from Berry Bros & Rudd, matures for four years in the same selection of casks. 2018 saw the launch of Penny Blue Pure Cane Mauritian Rum - a white Rum distilled from pure sugar cane juice that brings out the unmistakable character of the Mauritian terroir.

The production of Medine Rum is based on traditional methods that have been passed down for generations. Every step, from the sugar cane harvest to distillation and storage, is carried out directly on site and is subject to strict quality controls. The wax seal on the bottle caps is applied by hand.

Rum production only takes place during the sugar cane harvest from July to December.

After fermentation, the resulting mash is transferred to two intermediate tanks, which continuously feed the five distillation columns. One column contains 20 trays. The first column is used for raw distillation, whereby the residues are separated at the bottom and used as fertiliser in the fields.

The next step takes place in the Heavy-Rum column, which prepares the Rum material for the barrels with a strength of 65% vol. The remaining spirit goes into the Light-Rum column, from which the last column extracts the pure alcohol with a strength of 96.4% vol. This high-proof alcohol is sold on to producers of liqueurs and other alcoholic beverages.

The residue from the distillation process, which contains potassium carbonate, is recycled and used as fertiliser on the fields of the sugar cane plantations.

The sugar cane for the Medine Rum Distillery is grown on 3,300 hectares of fertile volcanic soil in Mauritius. The region's tropical climate with plenty of sunshine and little rainfall offers ideal conditions for sugar cane cultivation.

The sugar cane is delivered to nearby sugar factories, which produce molasses as a by-product. Sugar cane is purchased using the company's oldest machine, the molasses scale.

The molasses is fermented with Distiller's Yeast, which is prepared annually in a yeast vat. Fermentation takes around 48 hours and reaches an alcohol content of around 9% vol. During the fermentation process, the molasses is mixed with a certain amount of water and yeast in the three fermentation tanks. These tanks each have a volume of 100,000 litres and are cooled to a temperature of 35°C by small heat exchangers. A motorised impeller at the bottom ensures even mixing.

The storage of the Rum plays a decisive role in its flavour. At the Medine Distillery, the Rum is stored in carefully selected oak barrels, which ensure optimal maturation. The tropical climate of Mauritius, with its high temperatures and high humidity, accelerates the maturing process and gives the Rum deeper and more complex flavours.

There are two huge alcohol tanks on the distillery site with capacities of around 750,000 and 500,000 litres, from which the Rum is collected by truck. Only a small proportion of the production is filled into barrels for long-term ageing, with thousands of barrels resting in four warehouses in a tropical climate. The Rums are housed in ex-Bourbon, ex-Cognac and fresh oak barrels and lose around 8% of their content each year due to the hot climate. Interestingly, the alcohol content in the barrels rises from 65% to 67-68% vol. due to the high temperatures.

The distillery's semi-automatic bottling plant is located right next to the warehouses.

The Medine Rum Distillery was founded in 1926 and has since established itself as one of the best-known and oldest distilleries in Mauritius. The distillery has preserved the tradition of Mauritian Rum and contributes significantly to the worldwide recognition of the island's Rum.

In 2022, the sugar cane cultivation with an area of 3,000 hectares was spun off as an independent company, while the old sugar cane facilities are gradually being dismantled.