Chantal Comte
The history of Chantal Comte rums
Chantal Comte comes from a family travelled a lot, thanks in particular to activities activities thathave often took here to the Antilles French West Indies since 1964. It was in Martinique that André Depaz and Paul Hayot (then working at Plantation de la Montagne Pelée - Rhums Depaz) introduced her to rum, in the mid-1980s.
At the time, the public was not very keen on rum, to say the least. The spirit had fallen out of fashion, and producers were finding it hard to sell their stocks. The situation was very difficult for all the rum houses in Martinique, who were themselves sceptical about their product.
Yet Chantal Comte discovered a complex spirit with a rich history. Fascinated, she began visiting all the island's distilleries to gain a better understanding of this nectar. André Depaz suggested that she become an independent blender and bottler, a profession common in whisky but totally unheard of in rum at the time.
Raising rhum agricole to the rank of the greatest spirits
He then entrusted him with some of his best rums, personal reserves that the producers producers used to keep for themselves or for their distinguished guests. At the time, Chantal Comte was primarily a winemaker, owning the Domaine du Château de la Tuilerie in Nîmes. Gradually, however, she began to educate others, particularly sommeliers and chefs, including a certain Alain Ducasse.
It took a long time, and about 20 years before sales of these rums really took off. More and more enthusiasts discovered the high quality of these bottlings, which a few years later became rare collectors' items. It's fair to say that over all these years, she has helped to revive rhum agricole and make it what it is today. In 2014, she finally gave up her winemaking activities to devote herself entirely to rum.
Chantal Comte rums
Chantal Comte makes all her selections on site, in the distilleries' cellars. These selections are rare, as her exacting standards mean that she only bottles what she considers to be perfect. She makes her own blends, in collaboration with the cellar masters, whom she always shows off to their best advantage.
It's also worth noting that Chantal Comte was the first to offer raw rums from barrel. This practice was subsequently imitated by many independent bottlers, and then by the distilleries themselves.
The cuvées bear emblematic names, evoking the history of the great rum adventure.
Fighting Spirit white rums are color-coded to reflect their distillery of origin. Fighting Spirit Blue, for example, evokes the blue waters around the Simon distillery in Martinique.
The Caribaea cuvées are charity cuvées, with profits going to the Caribaea Initiative association, which supports biodiversity and education in the West Indies.
The L'Arbre du Voyageur collection is dedicated to younger rums. This tree is a symbol of West Indian hospitality, as it holds water reserves in the hollows of its palms. When planted at the entrance to a home, it is a sign of welcome.
The La Tour de l'Or range is made up of the oldest and most exceptional rums. The Tower of Gold evokes the Giralda in Seville, the city where Christopher Columbus brought back the first treasures of the New World.
