Saint James

The Saint-James distillery was created to give Martinique the possibility of exporting rum to the Anglo-Saxon countries. The decision was taken in 1765 to call the new brand of agricultural rum Saint-James in order to appeal to the population of New England, i.e. the English colonies that would later become the United States of America.

It was only in 1882 that the brand was officially registered. It was also at this time that the famous square bottle was born, which is now part of its identity. The reason for the choice of the shape is also practical: during storms that shake the boats, the arrangement of the bottles causes less breakage.

In 1974, Saint-James moved to Sainte-Marie, in the north-east of Martinique, to be closer to the sugar cane plantations, but also to get away from the threat of Mount Pelée. The 300-hectare estate now produces three million litres of rum a year. Read less