Rhum J.M

The J.M distillery produces Rhum Agricole, which is based on sugar cane juice rather than molasses. Like most Rum distilleries in Martinique, it carries the AOC label and is therefore subject to strict regulations.

In addition to white Rum, J.M also has brown Rum in its range, such as the Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique. This old Rum (Rhum Vieux) is stored in American oak barrels that have been burnt to various degrees in the distillery's own cooperage.

The distillery also offers a Rum liqueur, Shrubb J.M. This orange Rum Liqueur is made from a combination of white Rum and three-year-old brown Rum, in which a mixture of spices and bitter orange peel is macerated.

The distillery draws its water for irrigating the sugar cane from the River Roche. It also has its own well at an altitude of around 200 metres with pure spring water from the Montagne Pelée. In addition to the tropical climate of Martinique, the volcanic soil also plays a role in the terroir of J.M. Rhums Agricole. This consists of pumice and ash from Montagne Pelée and is very fertile.

The distillery is very committed to sustainability and is gradually switching to organic farming. To this end, it has launched the EDDEN project (Engagement fort pour le développement durable des écosystèmes). The key word here is circular economy. All by-products generated during production are recycled. The bagasse and vinasse are used as fuel and fertiliser. The ash that remains after the bagasse is burnt is used to add potassium to the soil in a natural way. The distillery also rotates between sugar cane and bananas every seven years to protect the soil.

Rhum J.M has two Creole copper stills in operation. The larger one is 21 metres high, while the second, newer still is somewhat smaller. The distillery produces around 1.5 million litres of alcohol every year.

The sugar cane for Rhum J.M is grown on plantations totalling 300 hectares. Immediately after the harvest, which takes place from February to the end of June, the sugar cane is freshly pressed in the distillery.

The sugar cane stalks are first coarsely crushed. This produces a fibre mixture that is pressed out in three stages using hydraulic presses. After filtering, the raw sugar cane juice is obtained.

The dry residue from the pressed sugar cane, the bagasse, is used to generate steam in the boiler. In the past, an old steam engine was used to drive the equipment. In the meantime, they have switched to electric motors and hydraulic presses.

The Rum distillery uses 24 large steel tanks for fermentation, which are filled with sugar cane juice and mixed with yeast. At J.M, the fermentation time is relatively short at 24 hours. After this time, depending on the sugar content of the sugar cane, a sugar wine (vin de sucre) with 3 to 7.5 per cent alcohol is obtained.

Rhum J.M undergoes a slow reduction process before being stored in barrels. The Rum, which has an alcohol content of 70 to 75 per cent after distillation, is reduced to 60 per cent by adding water over a period of six months. This allows the Rum spirit to equalise and lose its sharpness. The Rum is then placed in American oak casks or ex-Bourbon barrels. French oak barrels are also used in some cases. J.M also uses Cognac or Armagnac barrels for special bottlings.

The distillery stores a total of 10,000 barrels, of which only around 750 are stored at Domaine Fonds-Préville itself. As Rhum J.M is located in a very hilly area in the mountains, it is not possible to build such large warehouses.

Something special about J.M is that it has its own cooperage. While other distilleries in Martinique almost exclusively use new barrels and sell them on after they have been used for the first time, here they are reprocessed.

The history of Rhum J.M dates back to the end of the 18th century. Around 1790, Antoine Leroux-Préville bought a plot of land of 164 hectares and built a sugar factory there, which he named "Fonds-Préville". In 1845, Jean-Marie Martin bought the former sugar factory and converted it into a Rum distillery. The Rums produced there bear his initials.

Fortunately, the distillery was spared from the worst eruption of the Montagne Pelée volcano in 1902, as the volcano erupted mainly to the south and completely destroyed the town of Saint Pierre.

In 1912, the Crassous de Médeuil family acquired Rhum J.M and merged the two Domaines Fonds-Préville and Bellevue. Today, the distillery is owned by the GBH Group (Group Bernard Hayot), a family business from Martinique, which also owns the Habitation Clément Rum distillery. In the course of the takeover in 2002, extensive modernisation measures were also carried out.

The Domaine Fonds-Préville Rum distillery is located in a secluded valley surrounded by lush vegetation and can be visited.