Martinique 

The island of Martinique is one of the most important and renowned producers of Rhum Agricole ; this distillate was born in the French Antilles: the inhabitants of these islands started harvesting sugar cane for its production since 1635, when the French settled in Martinique. Up until that point, rum had been made using molasses, which is a waste product from cane processing and is used today for the production of industrial rum. At the end of the 19th century, however, faced with the collapse in the price of sugar, alternative solutions to the production surplus were sought. The plantation owners were the first to experiment with the production of a new rum by distilling freshly fermented cane juice. This element led to the birth of Rhum Agricole which, over time, has assumed increasingly qualitative connotations. The production on the island of Martinique is safeguarded by a precise and rigorous disciplinary, just like it happens for the denomination of the wines; it is an Appellation de Origine Controllè (AOC), which, in addition to sanctioning the sugar cane production area, prohibits industrial practices, such as the addition of caramel to make the rum darker and simulate its aging. Furthermore, the rum of this island must have an alcohol concentration between 65 and 75% and its maturation must take place in wooden barrels. We can also distinguish Rum in at least 3 types : white rum , which matures for three months in wooden barrels, amber rum , 18 months in wooden barrels, and the dark or aged one, whose maturation lasts from 3 to 6 years and more .