From the soil to the carafe, the art and the manner
Every day of the year, the sugarcane is harvested based on the daily production requirements.
The small local growers, neighboring the Habitation, deliver their batches of sugarcane with different varieties to ensure a diversity of flavors.
The art of harvesting
We also cultivate our own sugarcane on-sit at Habitation du Simon. Due to the nature of the terrain and to ensure the preservation of cane quality, we employ manual cutting techniques. The harvesting is carried out by Andy, Julien, and other skilled individuals who have inherited their knowledge from the elders.
The act of cutting requires great concentration, precision, and fluidity in every movement. The gesture is precise and decisive, and once the sugarcane is cut, it is bundled together and transported to the mill, ready for pressing.
The cutting of sugarcane is a delicate art that requires precise movements and constant attention.
The pressing at the mill
The proximity of the facilities on-site allows for a reduced time between each step of the rum production. This is why the crushing process takes place immediately after the hand-cutting of the fresh sugarcane. Only one press is used to extract the nectar from the sugarcane juice. The result is a clean, ultra-fresh juice that invites tasting.
Fermentation
Within a few hours of pressing, the juice is already placed in refrigerated stainless steel tanks to maintain an optimal temperature for each type of yeast used.
The slow fermentation, lasting 3 to 5 days, produces not only ethyl alcohol in the must but also a range of non-alcoholic markers (TNA) with the most subtle and enchanting aromas.
Thanks to the yeasts that consume nearly all the sugars present in the cane, a wine is obtained at the end of the fermentation process. The cane wine contains between 5% and 10% pure alcohol, which is then distilled in a still, as was done during the early rum production in the Caribbean in the 17th century
The distillation process
The A1710 distillery has implemented a production process that combines traditional methods with the latest techniques.
The importance of copper
During distillation, the wine is heated over an open flame in the alembic’s stills. As it boils, volatile compounds rise above the wine. As they travel through the copper stills, the vapors separate from the water droplets.
During their passage through the 7-plate concentration column, rectification intensifies. Ethyl alcohol vapors become concentrated and enriched with volatile aromatic compounds before reaching the condenser, which will return everything to a liquid state. In this long and delicate stage, the rum flows at a controlled strength of 68% ABV. Both the gaseous and liquid forms of the rum come into contact with the copper equipment. Copper is crucial.
It is the metal par excellence that facilitates the creation of aromatic components through the combination of various aldehydes, esters, and higher alcohols in the distillate. It acts as an enhancer of noble esters, as known by all producers of quality spirits.
The reduction
The final phase, the most ‘delicate’ for all spirits, is reducing the alcohol content to the commercial level. A lengthy, step-by-step reduction process will prevent ‘destabilizing’ the rum and allow for better absorption of water into the alcoholic medium, preserving the aromas. Once reduced, the product will be rested for a few months before being bottled.
Hand-bottling
The hand-bottling process begins with Bénédicte, who sanitizes the bottle with rum. Once the container is prepared, Nadine takes her turn to pour our extraordinary rum into it. Then, Cédric cork it using a small mallet, and passes the bottle to Véronique, who dips the cork into warm wax, carefully chosen to match the vintage’s color.
Meanwhile, another team takes care of the labeling process, carefully attaching the collar, label, and back label one by one. They then proceed to tie a double ribbon around the neck of the bottle and insert a small hand-stamped and numbered card.
The old carafes, on the other hand, are individually stamped or engraved according to the vintages.
All these handcrafted finishes also allow us to have a final look at our creations before they leave Habitation du Simon. Each bottle is unique in our eyes.
At the bottling workshop, the skilled hands coordinate in a ballet of precise and meticulous movements.
Our rums
he A 1710 rums are entirely produced on the estate: cultivation, milling, distillation, and bottling
