HSE "VSOP RESERVE SPECIALE" - Martinique Rhum Agricole AOC

• Country: Martinique
• Format: 0.7 L
• Aromas: Candied apricot, coffee, toasted almonds
• Alcohol content: 45%

Habitation Saint-Étienne was founded near La Maugée. The latter was a sugar refinery whose land extended in the early 19th century over 400 hectares, from Gros-Morne to Saint-Joseph. The architectural complex, consisting of the mansion and the former workers' cabins, bears witness to Martinique's specific housing system.

In 1882, Saint-Étienne was purchased by Amédée Aubéry, who transformed the sugar refinery into a distillery. In 1909, the property passed into the hands of the Simonnet family, who developed the distillery until its decline in the late 1980s. The property was purchased in 1994 by Yves and José Hayot, who relaunched Saint-Étienne. Today, Habitation Saint Étienne is included in the list of Historic Monuments. The distillery is one of the last and most beautiful examples of Martinique's industrial architecture from the late 19th century. Currently, distillation takes place at the Simon distillery, also part of the Hayot group, using its own Creole column still.

Habitation Saint Étienne Rhum HSE VSOP Reserve Speciale is an AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole certified rum. This rum comes from the distillation of pure fresh sugarcane juice in a Creole still. It is then aged in ex-bourbon American oak barrels. The final blend involves the use of agricultural rums, with a minimum aging of 5 years.

Habitation Saint Étienne Rhum HSE VSOP Reserve Speciale has a beautiful, bright amber color. The nose is rich with notes of candied yellow fruit, with apricot standing out. Alongside these, notes of toasted almond, caramel, coffee, and cloves emerge. In the mouth, it is broad, structured, and warm, with perfect consistency to the olfactory notes.

The finish is long and smooth, with pleasant woody notes.