What is rhum agricole?
Rhum agricole: French Caribbean rum (Martinique, Guadeloupe) made from fresh cane juice, not molasses.
- Category
- Spirit
- Taste
- Grassy, earthy, peppery, very fresh.
- Strength
- About 40-55% ABV
- Similar to
- cachaça, clairin
- Also called
- agricole
The story
In the 1870s, European sugar beets crashed the price of cane sugar, so Martinique's farmers started distilling fresh cane juice instead of molasses. Martinique rhum agricole got its own protected appellation (AOC) in 1996.