Distillerie Damoiseau

Damoiseau at Bellevue near Le Moule is the leading rum producer in Guadeloupe, making more than 8 million litres a year, and the only distillery on Grande-Terre, working on an industrial scale that the smaller estates do not: cane comes in by lorry from the surrounding fields of Grande-Terre, is crushed, fermented and run through column stills, and the output goes out white, aged and in the flavoured versions that sell locally. Visits are free and self-guided around the plant.

History

The Bellevue estate on which the distillery stands was founded as a sugar plantation by the Rimbaud family of Martinique at the end of the 19th century, after the emancipation of slaves in the French colonies. Roger Damoiseau bought it in 1942 and turned it into a rhum agricole distillery, which his grandson Hervé Damoiseau runs today (Wikipedia, Damoiseau Rhum).

What to look for

• The scale - the largest rum operation on the island, working industrially.
• The column stills - the continuous stills the spirit runs from.
• The cane yard - the crop coming in by lorry during the harvest.
• The tasting room - the range from white through aged to flavoured rums.

When to go

February to June is the cane harvest and the only time the plant runs. Outside it the distillery is idle. It closes at weekends and on holidays.

What to expect

Outside the harvest season nothing is running and the visit is a walk round idle machinery. It is an industrial plant rather than a scenic estate. The visit is self-guided with limited explanation.

Nearby

Le Moule is nearby, and Musee Edgar Clerc is north.

Key facts