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Rhum JM is the rhum agricole of Macouba, below Mount Pelée
Rhum JM is made at the Fonds-Préville distillery in Macouba, in the north-east of Martinique, between the Roches and Macouba rivers and below the volcano of Mount Pelée. The cane grows on the slopes around the distillery, and the house builds its identity on that volcanic ground. The label writes the name Rhum J.M.
Rhum JM at a glance, from Rhum JM’s own pages, Spiribam and Difford’s Guide (a secondary source)
Founded
- Rhum JM
- Estate from 1790; distillery built by Jean-Marie Martin in 1845
Location
- Rhum JM
- Fonds-Préville, Macouba, northern Martinique, below Mount Pelée
Owner
- Rhum JM
- Groupe Bernard Hayot, since 2002
Raw material
- Rhum JM
- Fresh cane juice, more than 75% from cane grown beside the distillery
Stills
- Rhum JM
- A two-column copper Creole still, to between 70% and 73% ABV
Casks
- Rhum JM
- New or used American or French oak, and ex-bourbon; 55 to 400 litres
Appellation
- Rhum JM
- AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole
Signature bottlings
- Rhum JM
- Blanc 50 and 55, Terroir Volcanique, VSOP, XO
| Feature | Rhum JM |
|---|---|
| Founded | Estate from 1790; distillery built by Jean-Marie Martin in 1845 |
| Location | Fonds-Préville, Macouba, northern Martinique, below Mount Pelée |
| Owner | Groupe Bernard Hayot, since 2002 |
| Raw material | Fresh cane juice, more than 75% from cane grown beside the distillery |
| Stills | A two-column copper Creole still, to between 70% and 73% ABV |
| Casks | New or used American or French oak, and ex-bourbon; 55 to 400 litres |
| Appellation | AOC Martinique Rhum Agricole |
| Signature bottlings | Blanc 50 and 55, Terroir Volcanique, VSOP, XO |
Groupe Bernard Hayot has owned the distillery since 2002. The same group owns Rhum Clément, and through Spiribam it owns St Lucia Distillers, the maker of Chairman’s Reserve.
The initials are Jean-Marie Martin’s, from 1845
The Fonds-Préville estate dates from 1790, when it became the property of Antoine Leroux-Préville. It began as a sugar plantation.
Jean-Marie Martin bought it in 1845 and built a distillery. He marked the casks he sent to market in Saint-Pierre, then the island’s capital, with his initials, and the rhum still carries them.
Rumporter dates the purchase by Gustave Crassous de Médeuil, owner of the neighbouring Habitation Bellevue, to 1914, and Rhum JM’s own history to 1912; he kept the J.M name, and the two estates were joined as one of 400 hectares.
JM distils fresh cane juice within hours of the cut
JM grows most of its cane close by. Difford’s Guide puts the share from the immediate vicinity of the distillery at more than 75%, from three varieties: canne roseau, canne bleue and canne rouge. Rumporter reported less than an hour between cutting the cane and milling it.
Two Creole columns distil the juice
Rumporter reported fermentation of 36 to 48 hours, well inside the 120 hours the appellation allows. Difford’s Guide describes a two-column copper Creole still, giving rhum at 70% to 73% ABV.
JM against the appellation rules, from the AOC specification, Rhum JM’s own pages, Rumporter and Difford’s Guide
Harvest
- AOC Martinique allows
- 1 January to 31 August
- JM, as reported
- February to June
Fermentation
- AOC Martinique allows
- Up to 120 hours
- JM, as reported
- 36 to 48 hours
Distillation
- AOC Martinique allows
- Creole column, to 65% to 75% ABV
- JM, as reported
- A two-column copper Creole still, 70% to 73% ABV
White rhum
- AOC Martinique allows
- At least six weeks’ rest
- JM, as reported
- About six months in steel
| Stage | AOC Martinique allows | JM, as reported |
|---|---|---|
| Harvest | 1 January to 31 August | February to June |
| Fermentation | Up to 120 hours | 36 to 48 hours |
| Distillation | Creole column, to 65% to 75% ABV | A two-column copper Creole still, 70% to 73% ABV |
| White rhum | At least six weeks’ rest | About six months in steel |
The rhum rests in steel before it meets oak
The white rhum rests about six months before bottling. Rhum JM ages in new or used American or French oak, including barrels that held bourbon, from 55 to 400 litres, and Difford’s Guide describes some barrel ends re-charred.
The appellation sets a bottling strength of at least 40% ABV, so a rhum cannot stay in wood indefinitely in the tropical heat.
Agricole tastes of the cane, and JM credits the volcano
Rhum agricole tastes of the fresh cane: cut grass, cane sap, green banana and white pepper, with a dry finish. JM credits the volcanic ground of Macouba, and river water filtered through volcanic rock, for its rhum’s character. The white rhums are sold at 50% ABV and above, so most drinkers take them with a little water or in a drink.
Ageing in oak adds vanilla, dried fruit and spice from the cask, and the cane stays underneath.
The range climbs the appellation’s age grades
The core runs through two white rhums, an aged Terroir Volcanique, the VSOP and the XO. Older and dated bottlings sit above them, and an Atelier range is made for bartenders.
The Rhum JM range, from Rhum JM’s own pages
Blanc 50 and Blanc 55
- What it is
- White rhum agricole, the same spirit at two strengths
- Strength
- 50% and 55% ABV
Juste Macouba
- What it is
- A white rhum
- Strength
- 52.1% ABV
Terroir Volcanique
- What it is
- An aged rhum
- Strength
- 43% ABV
VSOP
- What it is
- At least four years in oak
- Strength
- 43% ABV
XO
- What it is
- At least six years in oak
- Strength
- 45% ABV
Canopée, vintages, Signature 1998
- What it is
- Older and dated bottlings
- Strength
- Varies by release
Shrubb
- What it is
- An orange liqueur on a rhum base
- Strength
- 35% ABV
| Bottling | What it is | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Blanc 50 and Blanc 55 | White rhum agricole, the same spirit at two strengths | 50% and 55% ABV |
| Juste Macouba | A white rhum | 52.1% ABV |
| Terroir Volcanique | An aged rhum | 43% ABV |
| VSOP | At least four years in oak | 43% ABV |
| XO | At least six years in oak | 45% ABV |
| Canopée, vintages, Signature 1998 | Older and dated bottlings | Varies by release |
| Shrubb | An orange liqueur on a rhum base | 35% ABV |
Strengths and vintages change with each release, so check the label of the bottle in hand.
The white rhum belongs in a Ti’ Punch
The Ti’ Punch is the drink the white rhum is made for: 60ml of rhum agricole blanc and 10ml of cane syrup over a disc of lime. The 50% or the 55% both fit it.
A white agricole makes a drier, grassier Daiquiri than a molasses white rum.
Keep the XO and the dated bottlings for a glass on their own.
The facts come from the producer and the trade press
The dates, the estate and the range are from Rhum J.M’s pages on the distillery and its rhums, and its history as told by Rumporter. The cane, stills and casks are from the Difford’s Guide producer page.
The appellation rules are from the AOC Rhum de la Martinique specification, approved by French Decree No 2014-1542; Rum, rhum or ron sets them out.
Jerry Can Spirits is an independent company: we are not affiliated with Rhum JM, and we do not act for or on behalf of them. This page is our own account, drawn from the sources it lists.