Rhum and the Haitian Spirit

By Anonymous on Thursday, February 1, 2007.

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Last Saturday morning, the sun shone through my apartment window and fell upon a bookcase where I keep a bottle of Barbancourt Rhum. The bottle is tagged with classic Hispaniola price tags, florescent orange stickers--prices both in Haitian Dollars and in Dominican Pesos, 60 and 350 respectively. Although empty, it is a cherished keepsake reminiscent of better days spent swilling rhum ak koka at the rattan-adorned Oloffson Hotel in Port-au-Prince.

I drew the sun soaked bottle from its shelf and loosed its cap with a crack; sugar had crystallized around the bottle’s rim. The sweet scent that emanated forthwith was deep, velvety vanilla, with coconut and honeysuckle highlights. Even the dregs (even at nine A.M.) of this full-bodied rum enticed my senses.

I share this with you as I’ve recently come upon a wonderful exposé of the Barbancourt legacy in a 2000 issue of Cigar Aficionado. I have reproduced in part its contents below (without permission) and encourage all to visit the full article here. [link]

"While Barbancourt has as many medals as a Haitian general, perhaps its biggest accolade is that it is--by default, if not "by appointment"--the libation demanded in rituals by the Voodoo spirits, who get famously upset if they don't have their way. (The star on the rum's label is said to be a symbol of a Voodoo god.) Thierry Gardère, the fourth-generation head of the family business, is almost equally as upset at the idea that people would want to drink his rum with mixers. "Some makers don't like people to drink their rum without a mixer and I'm not surprised," he sniffs. "[Barbancourt] has a particularity, like a fine Cognac, but you can smell the sugarcane." His disdain for mixing applies to the eight-year-old Five Star as well, although he's prepared to consider the possibility with the four-year-old Three Star."

rhum Barbancourt

Submitted by Barnabas (not verified) on Thu, 10/29/2009 - 12:20.

There is no such of Rhum like a Rhum Barbancourt believe it or not.

A Look at Barbancourt Rum - What Makes it Special? (Rum Examiner

Submitted by Bryan Schaaf on Sun, 08/09/2009 - 22:19.

August 4, 4:17 PM · Robert A. & Robert V. Burr - Rum Examiner
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Among the finest aged rhums the 15 year old Barbancourt Réserve du Domaine is the signature spirit of a prominent Caribbean family. In 1862, Dupré Barbancourt, a native of Charente in France, developed a recipe for rhum that still bears his name today. Using the French double distillation method usually reserved for the very finest cognacs, he created a unique product that faithfully reflects the terroir of his region.
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Mr. Barbancourt married Nathalie Gardère and the company continues to be run by the Gardère family to this day. Entrepreneur and visionary, Jean Gardère
was the instigator of Rhum Barbancourt's modernization. In 1949, he decided to relocate the distillery to the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac on l'Habitation Mouline, near Damien, where it is located to this day.
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In addition to the legendary Réserve du Domain 15 year old rhum at 86 proof, the company also produces Estate Réserve 15 year old for the U.S. market,
Special Réserve (five star) eight year old, Rhum Barbancourt (three star) four year old, plus a white rhum. Rhum Barbancourt Reserve du Domain is considered by some experts to be the gold standard for rich, long-aged, cognac-like rhums. Distilled from cane juice, it is produced only during the cane harvest season, then aged in limousin oak vats.
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This exquisite rhum is at home in a snifter as well as neat or on the rocks, with a rich viscosity and deep amber color. Like its Rhum Agricole cousins from Martinique, this full-bodied and full-flavored rhum contains more cane flavor that many molasses-based spirits. The label contains a small figure of a woman dressed in a light blue dress holding a signum before a blue star, said by some to be a voodoo princess.
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Author: Robert A. & Robert V. Burr is an Examiner from the National Edition.

Barbancourt

Submitted by Bryan Schaaf on Thu, 03/26/2009 - 17:49.

I am actually drinking some of the five star right now. You might be able to procure a case in France. Also check out the book "and a bottle of rum" to learn more about Rum's history. It was the national drink of the United States for well over a hundred years before being supplanted by whiskey.

Rhum Barbancourt

Submitted by Robert (not verified) on Wed, 03/25/2009 - 15:11.

Where I come from, I can only dream of getting my hands on some of that Barbancourt! I work for a hotel in Prague (www.castlesteps.com) and it would be great if our bar had that! All of a sudden I'm in island mode.... :)

Barbancourt

Submitted by Bryan Schaaf on Sat, 04/26/2008 - 17:29.

The amazing thing is how much cheaper the rum is in Haiti. By the time you find it in the United States, it is over twice as costly. The fifteen year is the smoothest rum I ever had. It is my favorite, although I also enjoy the rums of Venezuela. It is hard to find but there are Haitian companies which make flavored rums as well -coffee, chocolate, coconut, mint, orange, etc.

Barbancourt 8

Submitted by Count Silvio (not verified) on Fri, 04/25/2008 - 18:43.

This rum is quite good, and smooth. It has flavours of caramel and vanilla and the aftertaste has some coffee, creamy toffee and more vanilla. I found this rum to have some bitterness though but should you add a few small drops of water to weaken the bitterness. I should one day buy the 15 year old version, if only it wasn't so expensive.

Rhum Barbancourt

Submitted by Bryan (not verified) on Mon, 02/05/2007 - 14:52.

Having developed a taste for Barbancourt while living in Haiti, I have sampled a wide variety of rums on my return...just to see if any could compete. I have gone so far as to try rums that cost twice as much but none could compare to the five star, and certainly not to the fifteen star. Here in Washington DC, we are able to find it several stores. Look around and maybe you will be able to find it as well.