Distillerie La Favorite - La Flibuste Special Cuvée
An exceptional and confidential Martinique Agricultural Rum.
The special cuvée of la Flibuste comes from a family-owned and independent distillery which is one of the last two of its kind in Martinique: La Favorite.
Each vintage of this cuvée is elaborated with passion and authenticity by the Cellar Master, Robert Charles and the Dormoy family, owners of the distillery. Together, they carry out meticulous work with the aim of obtaining a specific and delicate aromatic profile. The result is an exceptional aged agricultural rum whose bottling is a highly anticipated event for rum lovers and collectors around the world.
La Favorite is the last distillery in Martinique to operate entirely by steam, using a machine dating back to 1906. A quest for authenticity that is perceptible throughout the House's rums. This is reinforced by the fact that the sugar canes are exclusively hand-cut. This is a more expensive method, but it allows the cane to retain its freshness for longer and to preserve the roots during harvesting, thus encouraging good regrowth.
Although modernised over the years, La Favorite remains one of the most traditional distilleries on the island. A look back at the history of Habitation La Favorite.
The farm, which today covers 62 hectares, was founded in 1842. Before becoming the distillery we know today, Habitation La Favorite produced only cane sugar.
Once a simple sugar factory, it was Henri Dormoy who turned the business towards rum production. Indeed, in 1905, he acquired the Habitation at an auction.
From then on, La Favorite was modernised and transformed into a distillery. This marked the beginning of Habitation La Favorite as an agricultural distillery. It was equipped with its famous steam engine, still in use today.
Just like the steam engine used to process the freshly harvested sugar cane, Habitation La Favorite has been run by one family since 1905. Henri, then his son André, who bought the shares of his brothers and sisters, then Paul, his son and current manager, and finally Franck, one of Paul's sons, who recently joined the team in order to perpetuate this family tradition.
Thanks to the know-how and passion passed on from generation to generation, the Dormoy family continues to distill around 600,000 liters of rum per year, with the greatest respect for the Martinique tradition. Despite this relatively low volume, this does not prevent the distillery from dedicating a large part of its production, more than 20%, to extremely long ageing, sometimes more than 30 years, with the aim of creating old rums. The distillery's two cellars hold around 2,400 oak barrels.
These aged rums offer a rich and harmonious bouquet of great elegance. These are powerful rums (40% vol.), with an incredible length in the mouth, allowing you to appreciate all the subtleties.
The cuvée we are interested in today is a wonderful example. An emblematic but confidential cuvée, La Flibuste was first produced in the 1970s at the instigation of André Dormoy. The first vintages of La Flibuste were aged for 33 years. This was then reduced to 30 years, until the 1987 vintage, and to 25 years in recent years.
25 years in oak barrels, most of which were previously used for cognac, but also for bourbon, gives these aged rums mellow tannins, a palette of roasted, vanilla and candied fruit aromas and a liquorice finish.
After this long rest, the rum is extracted from the barrels that have housed it for bottling. Each of the 5,000 to 6,000 bottles produced per year is individually numbered and hand-sealed with a wax seal. Its black colour preserves the rum from the light for a better conservation of all its aromatic richness. From cask to bottle, the precious rum remains under the watchful eye of the Dormoy family and the Cellar Master, who hand down the treasure from generation to generation.
The quality of the taste of a rum from La Flibuste's special vintage lies in the balance between maturity and sweetness, without brutality or false notes. On the nose, woody, roasted, caramel and prune aromas. On the palate, an explosion of fruity and spicy flavours punctuated by hints of vanilla. The finish, rather woody, extends to incredible aromas of liquorice.
La Flibuste is a true concentrate of the know-how acquired by the Dormoy family for four generations now. Unfortunately reserved for a few enthusiasts as production is so confidential, each vintage of La Flibuste promises a high-flying tasting experience combining finesse and complexity.
DISTILLERIE LA FAVORITE - Rhum agricole hors d’âge - La Flibuste Special Cuvée - 1994 - Bottle of 70 cl
DISTILLERIE LA FAVORITE - Rhum agricole hors d’âge - La Flibuste Special Cuvée - 1997 - Bottle of 70 cl
DISTILLERIE LA FAVORITE - different cuvées and vintages available.
> Distillerie La Favorite website
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