“What is this place?” You walk through the sliding doors, turn right toward the rum section and your jaw suddenly drops. They’re all there, sparkling and bright, walls and walls of premium sugarcane mosaic.
We’ve traveled all over the Caribbean, and there’s nothing like this. If you’re a rum connoisseur, it’s as good at it gets. This is Bacchus, the French Caribbean wine and spirits store, and here at its stunning retail shop in Saint Martin’s Hope Estate area is the rum equivalent of Shangri-La.
There are hundreds and hundreds of bottles, with a focus on the magnificent rhum agricole of Martinique and Guadeloupe, rhum blanc and aged rhum and everything in between.
If you’re not familiar with it, rhum agricole is the rarest rum in the Caribbean: unlike most industrial-style rum, it’s made from pure sugarcane juice, not molasses, meaning it has a true terroir and a decidedly artisanal rum-making culture. Every year the harvest is different, and every year, as in the wine world, the product is different.
And at Bacchus, it’s all here: Depaz, Reimonenq, Bally, Damoiseau, Clement, JM, the names go on an on. And not just the new releases, like JM’s spectacular new Cuvee Canopée, or Clement’s latest Blue Cane edition.
There’s rare stuff here, too: Damoieau’s top releases; Clement’s 1970 and 1976; La Favorite’s Flibuste, arguably the single-most sought-after rum bottle in the world right now; and a marvelous selection of Rhum Blanc.
The latter is for the lover of the ti’ punch, and it’s a fascinating journey into the diverse world of terroir.
And it’s all here: from the Dillon Ti’ Fle’ Ble’ to Reimonenq’s lovely Coeur de Chauffeur to the colorful JM Macouba.
And it’s not just agricole: you’ll find an outstanding selection from across the Antilles and even rum markets like Guatemala.
Of course, it’s not just home to rum. There’s an wide-ranging selection of everything for the bon vivant, from a sprawling wine cave to a Nespresso bar to a full-fledged haute cuisine restaurant on site. And Bacchus is not just here, the company has three locations in Saint Martin, another in St Barth and a new location in Anguilla, too.
If you love rum, this is paradise, and it’s set on one of the Caribbean’s most accessible islands. And if you know the world of rum, you know how rare it is to find a pan-Caribbean shop on a Caribbean island.
Right now, it’s the Mecca of Caribbean rum shops. (If there were rum in Mecca).
Do you love rum? Head to St Barth this November for the seventh annual Caribbean Rum Awards, the region’s ultimate rum festival. You can learn more here.
