Saint James
The Saint-James distillery was created to enable Martinique to export rum to Anglo-Saxon countries. The decision was taken in 1765 to call the new brand Saint-James agricultural rum, in order to appeal to the population of New England, the English colonies that would later become the United States of America.
It wasn't until 1882 that the brand was officially registered. It was also at this date that the famous square bottle was born, which today forms part of the brand's identity. The shape of the bottle was also chosen for practical reasons: during storms when boats were being tossed about, the arrangement of the bottles meant less breakage.
In 1974, Saint-James moved to Sainte-Marie, in the northeast of Martinique, to be closer to the sugarcane plantations, but also to escape the threat of Mount Pelée. Today, the estate's 300 hectares produce three million liters of rum a year. Read less
