Mauritius 2013

The story of Chamarel began at the end of the 18th century. Charles-Antoine de Chazal de Chamarel gained land on Mauritius (called Isle de France back then) that was generally known as Le Nuage and he renamed it to Chamarel. Charles-Antoine grew sugar cane, coffee, cotton, and indigo but around 1815 he left for France, and in 1844 the settlement got a new owner. In 1852 it was bought by Amédée Perrot, Charles-Antoine’s son-in-law and together with his wife Amelia (the daughter of Charles-Antoine) they have established their own sugar refinery during the next eight years.  In 1891 the estate was bought by “The Mauritius Estate & Assets” company and in 1894 the sugar refinery has been renovated. Never the less due to the large economic changes on the island the estate closed down in 1897.

The modern history of Chamarel rum is written from 1996 when part of the properties in the heart of the Chamarel area was bought by a Couacaud family for fruit and sugar cane farming. Back in that time, the law allowed sugar cane to be used only for sugar production. In 2006, this law became invalid and it reflected on the market by a huge drop of price of sugar. Couacaud family had to look for new ways to make living and this led them to the path of rum production and so in 2008 they opened Chamarel distillery. Three types of sugar cane are grown in Chamarel (Red cane R570, Yellow cane R573, and Blue cane R579) on the area of 30 to 35 hectares and are harvested solely by hands always in between July and December.

The fermentation process lasts from 48 to 78 hours in 250 hectolitre stainless steel thermoregulated tanks. The yeast and filtered water are added to the sugar cane juice called “vesou”. They use continuous distillation (Barbet still, size 15 and 4 meters) as well as pot distillation (Alembic, 20 hl volume). The final spirit is transferred into the stainless steel barrels for at least six months where it gets its typical roundness and fullness. Afterward, the rum is stored in American and French oak barrels that were previously used for bourbon or cognac. These barrels are kept for aging in one of the two Chamarel cellars.

Since 2013 the distillery expanded its premises and has created a modern visitors centre, room for the degustation of the rum, and an exclusive restaurant L´Alchimiste.The true value of rum does not stand only on its aroma or its taste. It lays as well in history and the tale that stands behind the process of creation and that without a doubt shapes its character. Let your senses be spoiled by this single cask whose rarity was created by the unchained nature of this exotic island – Mauritius. Of course hand in hand with the resilient desire of the Couacaud family to remain faithful to the sugar cane and to produce the most unique rum they can possibly create.