Barbancourt is a carefully aged Haitian rum with a cognac-like character, one of the few still made with fresh sugarcane juice
Barbancourt rum is Haiti's best-known spirit. It has almost 160 years of history. It is one of the few brands that still uses fresh sugarcane juice in the production of its rums, together with double distillation, a method normally reserved for exclusive cognacs.
Today's focus is a delicately flavoured rum, carefully aged and with a cognac-like air. “It is unique because we have different productions and we compare them, we use many techniques and basically make our own, and you do not find that anywhere else; it was designed for Barbancourt”, said Vladimir de Delva, master distiller and operations director of the company.
For Haitians it is not just an alcoholic drink. It is integrated into cooking recipes, into brews used for medicinal purposes and even into voodoo ceremonies, the magical-religious practice brought from Africa that is most widespread in the country.
For Haitians it is not just an alcoholic drink, but is part of recipes, medicinal brews and even voodoo ceremonies. PHOTO: Prensa Latina
Barbancourt rum is a source of national pride and probably one of the oldest companies still surviving in Haiti. The story goes back to 1862, when Dupré Barbancourt, originally from the French region of Charente, arrived in Haiti and developed a rum recipe using the French method of double distillation.
A few years later, Barbancourt rum won gold medals in Hamburg (1885), Paris (1889, 1898 and 1907) and London (1907). "At that time Haiti was very oriented towards Europe because of segregation in the United States, so it was natural to travel to the old continent and the company appeared at several fairs to present its products", Delphine Gardere, general director of Société Rhum Barbancourt, told Escáner.
Barbancourt rum is a national pride and probably one of the oldest companies still surviving. PHOTO: Prensa Latina
It was named Special Category Rum of the Year by Rum Journal in 2012, and in 2017 it ranked second on Alcohol Aficionado's list of the 10 best silver rum brands. In 2018 Barbancourt was named the best rum distillery in the Caribbean by USA Today, ahead of well-known brands such as Bacardí and Mount Gay.
The production process from the inside
The use of molasses or cooked cane juice has gained ground internationally, especially in French, Spanish and English productions, to the point that only two percent of spirits use fresh cane juice, known in French as vesou. "Within that small percentage are the rums of Haiti, both Barbancourt and more artisanal versions known as clairin, which are widely popular", experts say.
After the essential raw material, the process includes fermentation, distillation and ageing. “We use pure sugarcane juice, we cut it and then process it into juice, ferment it, distil it, age it and bottle it all in the same factory”, explained Gardere, who belongs to the fifth generation leading the company.
“We have chemists working for us, blenders who have been here for up to 30 years and know their work, a very good laboratory team, another team on the distillation columns and fermentation, and people who monitor the methanol level, which is very dangerous for human consumption”, she warns.
Delva adds that "the rum gives a very light sensation, easy to drink, and in the aroma of the white rum it is possible to feel the sugarcane juice with a slight touch of buttery caramel". As master distiller, he makes sure to select the quality of the cane juice, previously extracted, that fermentation does its work and that the correct alcohol concentrations are present. “When everything goes well, the magic happens”, he says.
“When everything goes well, the magic happens”, says Vladimir de Delva.
Barbancourt produces a white rum, refined to reveal cocktails, which develops intense aromatic richness with sweet notes of banana, mango and nougat. It is followed by another smooth expression, aged for four years and ideal for mixologists, those specialised in combining drinks, because of its light and delicate flavour.
The next range includes the eight-year-old expression, pale gold in colour with aromas of vanilla and pepper, excellent neat, although it can also be enjoyed with ice cubes.
Source: Prensa Latina