HSE White Agricultural Rum Cuvée of the Year 2018 AOC Martinique

HSE, 3 letters for "Habitation Saint Etienne". At the beginning of the 19th century, it was a sugar refinery located in the commune of Gros Morne in the north of Martinique, and which extended over more than 400 hectares. It was only from 1882 that the sugar refinery was transformed into an agricultural distillery under the leadership of Amédée Aubéry. The distillery then worked under the "Saint Etienne" brand. The activity developed successfully until the end of the 1970s. Hurricanes David in 1979 and Allen in 1980 marked a turning point and caused the decline of the distillery, which ceased its activity in 1988. In 1994, José and Florette Hayot relaunched the brand. It was from that same year that distillation was handled by the Simon distillery. In 2008, the "Saint Etienne" brand became "HSE". Today, Habitation Saint Etienne boasts sugarcane fields, a landscaped park classified as a "remarkable garden" featuring many rare species, and the aging cellar. HSE rums are certified "AOC Martinique," and it is also the first agricultural rum brand to offer a unique and wide range ranging from white rum to extra-old rum, as well as special finishes. Regarding the Simon distillery, it is located in the south of the island of Martinique on the Atlantic coast. Its history began in the mid-17th century, and today it is one of the last 7 distilleries on the island. Habitation Saint Etienne, with its atypical history and unique ancestral know-how, allows us to discover the authenticity of Martinique's traditional agricultural rums and innovations while respecting the requirements of the AOC specifications.