Pere Labat 59 Rhum Agricole Guadeloupe Navy Strength White Rum (700ml)
From the small island of Marie-Galante, a part of Guadeloupe, about one hour boat-ride from the mainland. Here the sugar cane fields, distilleries and warehouses sit in a pristine environment, employing indigenous sugarcane varieties and distilling exclusively from fresh pressed cane juice.
Distillerie Poisson (est. c.1860) is the oldest operation of its kind on Marie-Galante and custodian of one of the most venerable stills in the Caribbean. Built in 1916, not much has changed in the last century, but in 2007, Guadeloupe native, Jean-Cedric Brot purchased the distillery and committed to reinvigorating the storied spirits that made it famous. He has named his brand after Père Labat (Father Labat), a multi-talented French Dominican missionary who introduced Charentaise distillation, the same method used to make Cognac. It made for a rum that was more "floral and round instead of sharp and burning". Today, four kinds of cane are used: red, white, blue, and gray. Some are grown on the estate, some are purchased from local growers. All are hand-cut and brought to the distillery by ox-drawn carts. 72 hour fermentations yield a vin de canne at 5% abv. Distillation takes place in one of two copper creole column stills which have eleven stripping plates and four rectifying/enriching plates. The spirit comes off the still between 69% and 71% abv. The Rhum blanc is placed in open top wooden foudres for 10-15 days and demineralized water is added to bring it down to proof. Pere Labat has several variants, but this edition is bottled at "Island Proof". Aside from being the ultimate choice for a Tiki Punch and a stunner in Daiquiris, it is considered by some as one of the best rhum agricoles in the world. The rums are bottled without chill filtration to maximise the raw fruitiness of the cane. 59% Alc./Vol.