Rhum Barbancourt is

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

produced from pure sugar cane juice and bottled in Haiti by Société du Rhum Barbancourt. The distillery is one of Haiti's oldest institutions, and its rum is the country's most famous export, widely regarded as among the finest rums in the world for over 150 years.

Company history

The

family business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by blood or marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business and the willingn ...

began on March 18, 1862, producing rum directly from

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

juice. Dupré Barbancourt, from the

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cognac production falls under French appella ...

-producing region of Charente founded the distillery in 1862. After learning how to make rum in December of that year, he soon began selling it for HTG 1.50 (

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$0.30) per gallon. When Dupré Barbancourt died, the distillery passed to his wife Nathalie Gardère who managed it with the help of her nephew Paul Gardère. When she died, Paul then directed the company until his death in 1946, when his son Jean Gardère took up the baton, furthering the family tradition until 1990. When Jean passed, Thierry Gardère took over, becoming the fourth generation of the Gardère family to lead the company. Upon the death of Thierry Gardère on March 1, 2017, Delphine Nathalie Gardère succeeded her father as CEO of Barbancourt. During the

2010 Haitian earthquake A catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capi ...

, two workers died, about 86 lost their houses, many aging barrels were destroyed, halting the rum production, and rum supply and prices were affected. By May 2010 however, production had already resumed. In November 2020, Delphine Nathalie Gardèr
announced that she now owned 100% of the shares of Société du Rhum Barbancourt
through a Leverage Buy-Out of all the other Gardère family members.

Expansion and operations

In 1949, the company relocated to the heart of the sugar cane fields of the Domaine Barbancourt in the plaine du Cul-de-Sac region. By 1952, the successful company ramped up production, transforming itself from what once was a cottage industry into a major producer of high-quality rum. The rum is double distilled, using a process similar to that used to produce cognac. Barbancourt is made directly from sugar cane juice rather than the sugar cane by-product molasses. This is similar to the

rhum agricole Rhum agricole () is the French term for '' sugarcane juice rum'', a style of rum originally distilled in the French Caribbean islands from freshly squeezed sugarcane juice rather than molasses. ''Rhum'' is the term that typically distinguishes ...

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

, which is strictly controlled by law. Fermenting fresh sugar cane juice provides a more flavorful product. Barbancourt's products are highly regarded and have won many world competitions with excellent reviews from rum connoisseurs. The Réserve du Domaine / Estate Reserve is aged 15 years. Other popular products include the 5 Star Réserve Spéciale aged for eight years, the 3 Star Rhum aged four years, and a clear, white rhum, all made from fresh sugar cane juice. Barbancourt's rums are marketed in 20 countries, namely the Caribbean, Europe, the United States,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Barbancourt is Haiti's best-known export.

Barbancourt Leadership

# Dupré Barbancourt 1862-1907 # Nathalie Gardère (wife of Dupré Barbancourt) 1907-1928 # Paul Gardère (nephew of Nathalie Gardère) 1928 - 1946 # Jean Gardère (son of Paul Gardère) 1946 -1990 # Thierry Gardère (son of Jean Gardère) 1990-2017 # Delphine Nathalie Gardère (daughter of Thierry Gardère) 2017 to present.

Products

* Rhum Barbancourt 3-Star (aged 4 years) * Rhum Barbancourt 5-Star (aged 8 years) * Rhum Barbancourt Estate Reserve (aged 15 years) * White Rhum

References

External links