Clement

Clément takes its name from Homère Clément, who bought an estate at Le François on Martinique's Atlantic coast in the late nineteenth century and began making rum there. The old estate, Habitation Clément, is still the home of the brand and the place where much of its rum is aged. Since the 1980s the house has belonged to Groupe Bernard Hayot.

Clément makes rhum agricole, the French Caribbean style distilled from freshly pressed sugar cane juice rather than molasses. The cane juice is fermented and run through a traditional Creole column still, which gives a grassy, vegetal spirit. It is made under Martinique's appellation rules.

The unaged range starts with Blanc and Canne Bleue. Canne Bleue is distilled from a single variety of blue sugar cane and released as a white rum, and also aged in bottlings such as the 4 Years Old Single Batch. Colonne Creole points to the still the rum comes from.

For aged rum, buyers will meet Ambre, the Rhum Vieux VSOP and Select Barrel, the 10 Years Old and Cuvée Homère, named after the founder. Single Batch releases such as Chauffe Extrême explore particular casks, and Mahina Coco is a coconut liqueur rather than a rum.