Distilleriedepaz Habitationlamontagne Saintpierre Martinique

Habitation La MontagneTradition, terroir and history of Depaz Martinique rum

A visit to the heart of Depaz rums and its Château

Today, I’m taking you to Saint-Pierre in northern Martinique, on the slopes of Montagne Pel&e, to visit Habitation La Montagne, the birthplace of the Depaz distillery and Château Perinelle. In a fabulous setting between the volcano and the Caribbean Sea, Depaz rums, certified AOC Rhum agricole de Martinique, have been produced for over a century and are highly regarded by connoisseurs…

Discover the La Montagne home

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You’ll be welcomed at the boutique. Visiting the Depaz distillery is free of charge (only entrance to the “Château Depaz” is subject to a fee), and it’s great to wander around the estate at your own pace and in the direction you prefer. This is a real rum production site, and you can see the distillery in full operation during the sugarcane harvest from February to June. The tour is very well marked, with red signage, numbered points of interest and, above all, numerous audio guides accessible via an internal wifi network, directly on your phone! It’s very well thought-out and very practical for those who like to take their time…

At the foot of the Montagne Pelée volcano

The site is truly exceptional: a long, palm-fringed driveway, with the Montagne Pelée volcano as a backdrop, sugarcane plantations as far as the eye can see and, last but not least, a view plunging into the Caribbean Sea.

Mount Pelee

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Visit to the Depaz Distillery and Park

The signposted tour starts at the distillery, following the paththrough the 5-hectare park to the château, then takes us around the production plant before leading us to the ageing cellars and boutique.

The park and the volcano’s water

In this verdant setting of century-old trees, the presence of water is a constant reminder, as with the waterfall that begins the walk. Beyond its decorative aspect, it is a reminder that water from the Roxelane River flows from the slopes of the volcano and used to supply the entire distillery via a small canal coming from the dam built by Victor Depaz in 1920.

The distillery is one of the few to have retained its hydraulic system, and to have continued to use a steam engine for over 100 years!

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Volcanic soil and sugar cane

The Depaz distillery owns 450 hectares of sugarcane plantations on the slopes of Montagne Pelée, on the Caribbean side in Saint Pierre and on the Atlantic side in Basse Pointe. As a result, Depaz rum has the typicality and strong identity of a volcanic terroir. Although cane varieties vary from one plantation to another, almost 2/3 of the cane grown in Martinique is “blue”.

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The other distinctive feature of Depaz rums is the 48-hour fermentation time, whereas most distilleries have opted for a faster fermentation, generally 24 hours. This is the brand’s choice, and it reinforces the power of its aromas.

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The Distillery and Cellars

If, like me, you visit the distillery during the production period (February to June), you’ll be able to watch the teams at work, at every stage of the production process.Cutting, unloading sugar cane, weighing, crushing, fermenting, distilling: so many operations that have been repeated over the years, and which here remain fairly faithful to ancestral techniques.

Outside this period, thanks to photos and audio guides, visitors can still understand the process and discover the site’s history as they stroll around.

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The 3 distillation columns

The path then takes us to the heart of the distillery, to the production plant, where the machines are running at full speed. The smell of the first cane juice is omnipresent – I love it!

The highlight of the show: the three large distillation columns, also known as “columns créoles”, an essential stage in the birth of rum. Two of the columns distill Depaz rums, while the third is used for Dillon rums.

Discover Depaz rums

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Rum ageing cellars

I’m heading for the cellars, where all the ageing know-how will come to fruition, along with the trade secrets of the cellar masters and operators. Behind the large windows are lined up the huge 10,000L casks and 350L barrels, made from French and American oak. I learn that when a barrel is new, the rum must be left in it for a maximum of one year, as the wood will release much more tannin and give the rum too strong a taste. The rum is then transferred to older barrels, where it can age longer.

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The Bollée Foundry Bell

The bell was rebuilt in 2002 to mark the centenary of the eruption of Montagne Pelée, identical to the one that adorned the distillery before it was destroyed. The remains of the old bell, which melted down, can be found in the small museum. This bell rings every hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., giving rhythm to the life of the Distillery!

The Steam Museum

Leaning against one of the ageing cellars and surrounded by old machinery (distillation column parts, distillation trays, an old steam engine…) is a small museum that catches my eye. Don’t be fooled by its size, it’s certainly not very big, but it’ s very rich in objects from the past and recreates life on the dwelling before the eruption.

Here too, thanks to the audio guide, you get all the explanations and historical anecdotes you need to bring the exhibits to life.

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The Cases and the Caoutchouc giant tree

The tour continues behind a gigantic and impressive rubber tree (ficus elastica) almost 20 m high, planted in 1960, where several huts have been renovated: the water hut, with its ancestral system of storing water in interconnected jars, and the water turbine.

The case of Louisette serves fresh fruit juices and homemade cakes.

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Visit to Château Depaz

Whether it’s a visit in its own right or part of a larger tour, the choice is yours! I saved it for last, before heading back down to the boutique and lunch at the restaurant Moulin in Cannes.

This is where the Depaz family lived until the mid-1980s. The imposing two-wing building overlooks the entire plantation, park and distillery. On either side, pools are adorned with water jets. The view over the cane fields and Saint-Pierre harbour is superb.

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Only the first floor is open to visitors (for a fee, with access to the tasting included). The hostess at reception hands me an audio guide, as the tour is free through the various rooms: hall, vestibule, great room, smoking room, games room, Victor Depaz’s office.

I must admit I’m partial to the office, with its mahogany furniture, old typewriter and view of the park and Caribbean Sea.

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The tour takes you back to life in the early 20th century, with furniture and objects from the period that once belonged to the family. The rear gardens are laid out on two levels linked by a double staircase, with a fountain in the middle, fed by water from Montagne Pelée… The view is just breathtaking!

Discover Château Depaz

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Depaz rums

Store

A tasting session and boutique round off a visit rich in discovery and wonder. Here you’ll find all Rhums Depaz white rums, aged rums, special cuvées and limited editions. The tasting is well worth the detour… I discover the white rum ” Cuvée de la Montagne “, very floral and fragrant. I buy a bottle of the ” Cuvée Papao Millésime 2019 “, which makes a lovely gift. I really like the new bottles and labels, which are very high quality. As for old rum, I’m tasting the ” Depaz Grande Réserve XO “, which is really excellent.

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On the way out, I stop in front of the huge stainless steel vats bearing the Depaz logo. This is where the white rum is stored before bottling…

A beautiful visit, a walk at my own pace, a real production site, the preservation of a unique heritage: it was a great morning…

Rhums Depaz’s eco-responsible approach

The Depaz sugarcane plantations in Saint-Pierre have been awarded the HVE (High Environmental Value) label.
Water is reused as much as possible thanks to a water treatment system.
The plant recovers and recycles a great deal of energy via its new boiler (2007)
The distillery is virtually self-sufficient: the bagasse produces energy in the form of steam and powers the mills.

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