Rum’s longstanding history has brought it to become the world’s third-most consumed liquor after vodka and whisky. Over the years, rum has been successfully building a reputation as a premium complex sipping beverage.  Every day the segment is being more appreciated for diversity and craftsmanship – especially in Martinique, home to French styled rum.

Today rum can be sorted into three categories: British, French, and Spanish. There are, of course, complexities and exceptions to the rule, but British and Spanish rums are, by and large, produced from molasses, while French rums come from cane juice. When creating molasses-based rums, the most important element to tweak and perfect is the distillation process itself, but with French rums, the approach is treated more like wine. The drink earns its flavors from the terroir, environmental factors affecting flavor profiles.

Benjamin Jones, Managing Director of SPIRIBAM will tell you “the difference is stark and it (rhum agricole) is the natural entry point into the world of rum. Craft breweries are very fashionable these days, and excavating the flavors of whisky is popular for drinkers in the discovery phase – it’s only natural that rum has a turn too.”

As connoisseurs and common consumers alike become more enchanted by agricole’s French charm, it’s only natural they flock to Martinique, the birthplace of Rhum Agricole. To learn more about Martinique’s Top Shelf Rum Scene – check out Brandon Presser’s full article on Lonely Planet.