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Taste the good rums of Mauritius

Written on : 22 October 2019
By : Melchior Burin des Roziers
Taste the good rums of Mauritius

When you arrive in Mauritius, the first thing that comes to mind is putting on your bathing suit and heading for the beach to enjoy the white sand and relax in the sun between the coconut palms and the turquoise water. But another desire awaits around the corner: to sip a delicious cocktail while tasting the flavours of the island's incredible rums. So we decided to tell you a little more about this delicious tropical beverage.
 

A brief history of rum in Mauritius

A brief history of rum in Mauritius

Mauritius is a mini paradise in the southwestern Indian Ocean, with copious amounts of sunshine, volcanic and fertile red clay soils, and a good humidity level - it has everything you need to grow sugar cane! The first Dutch settlers understood this well, which is why they introduced it from Java in 1639, especially with the idea of ensuring their arak production.
 
In 1715, it was the French's turn to land on Mauritius and take possession of it - it was renamed, "Isle de France". The island saw its first sugar factories created in around 1740, and Mahé de La Bourdonnais had Guildive invented, a coarse beverage whose name derives from the English Kill Devil (Tue Diable). Gradually, rum production evolved until its quality allowed it to become an exportable drink. At the dawn of the 19th century, Mauritius obtained the exclusivity of this production in Reunion Island. In 1830, there were 135 distilleries in Mauritius, which had since become English, due to the British colony taking over the island.
 
In 1933, the British authorities banned the production of poorly distilled alcohol and only allowed the production of "traditional" rum. It is therefore not possible to produce aromatic rum because of these new statutory alcohol levels. This ban was lifted in 2001 and the Mauritian government again authorized the production of rum of different characters. 5 years later, a law allowed the production of rum from cane juice. Giving way to the rebirth of Mauritius rum!
 
Today, there are 6 distilleries on Mauritius: 
Those that produce agricultural rum: Saint Aubin, Chamarel and Labourdonnais (Mascareigne).
Those that offer a traditional rum: Oxenham, Gray's and Medine. These last two are the only survivors of the 20th century.
 
It can be said that rum has become a major sector in the Mauritian economy since the export revenues of the famous beverage have almost doubled since 2010.

A few bottles of rums to taste on Mauritius

A few bottles of rums to taste on Mauritius

Chamarel
 
This brand only uses hand-cut, fresh and unburned canes. Two bottles specifically stand out:
 
Chamarel - very old rum - VSOP : 

An agricultural rum made from quality cane juice, which is locally called "frangourin". The colour of this rum is a beautiful gold. Its smell is distinguished and dominated by notes of dried and exotic fruits. It is a fine woody, slightly toasted wine before evolving into fresher notes of vanilla, spices and more herbaceous aromas. On the palate, the taste is dry but without astringency and the smell quickly regains its balance by revealing gourmet and pastry notes of honey, toasted almond and brioche. it finishes evolving with notes of pepper and oak.
 
Chamarel - rum out of age - XO :
 
This 6-year-old agricultural rum is also the pride of the island's locals. It also has a golden colour and its primary scent reveals a fine balance between spicy and fruity notes. The second smell evolves on rather woody aromas with fine notes of vanilla and dried fruit. Its taste is intense and dense, dominated by spices, vanilla and fruits such as figs and plums. The whole flavour is wrapped in subtle toffee notes. Beautiful in length, intensity and with a dry finish. 
 
 
Pink Pigeon
 
The name of this rum refers to a rare pigeon species, native to Mauritius. This brand of spicy rum has developed its recipe with a well-known British bottler: Berry Bros & Rudd. The Medine distillery is responsible for the production of Pink Pigeon, in other words, the oldest distillery on the island still operates since it was established in the southwest of Mauritius in 1926.
 
 
Pink Pigeon is an amber rum distilled four times, which is quite atypical. So taste this rum that will offer you flavours of vanilla, orange peels and wild orchid petals. 
 
If you are interested in the Medina distillery, taste Penny Blue XO, made from molasses and aged in barrels of whisky, Cognac and Bourbon. 
 
Have a nice holiday in Mauritius!

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