Reimonenq: a Guadeloupean anchor

8 November 2023 | Interviews & Meetings
Reimonenq: a Guadeloupean anchor

Hello, thank you for granting us an interview. The Reimonenq distillery is a fairly legendary distillery in Guadeloupe, a distillery that is more than a century old. Can you give us a quick timeline of this story?

1916 : Purchase of the Property by the two brothers Reimonenq and André Bon, their partner at the time. The first canes are planted and a wooden distillery is built 

1959: Death of Fernand Reimonenq, father of Léopold. Léopold Reimonenq takes over management of the distillery. 

1969: Fire at the distillery which was rebuilt and modernized for better productivity 

1985: Gold medal for agricultural white rum at the Agricultural Show 

1989: Cyclone Hugo distillery destroyed and rebuilt 

1990: Opening of the Rum Museum 

2000: New column at Distiller 

2018: New strain used for fermentation. 

Léopold Reimonenq has brought modernization and comfort at work to each stage of the production chain. Today, the know-how continues thanks to the third generation (children of Leopold).

During the past year we received original vintages in France such as the Manta white rum or the Reimonenq Kou de éclair. If we take these vintages one by one, can you introduce us to Manta white rum and describe its very particular taste?

The Cuvée Manta is a 55% agricultural white rum which has rested for more than a year in stainless steel vats. We worked on the reduction stage which was carried out over a longer period of time. 

Manta is a taste experience because it provides a completely different expression in the mouth and resembles Sake. Its aromatic profile is fruity , with notes of peyi apricot , mango , apple creeper and spice , with cinnamon , star anise and mint . 

We selected this vintage for the Route du Rhum 2022 . For each vintage purchased, we donate €1 to the Surfrider association for the protection of the oceans and its users. It should be enjoyed dry and at room temperature.

Next comes the lightning Reimonenq Kou. How does it compare to the Cuvée JR? What use is it intended for?

Kou de éclair is a 42% wood -aged rum , aged for 19 months in new 600-liter French oak barrels and refined in American bourbon barrels . Before each outing we invite sommeliers and oenologists as well as members of the Club Rhum Guadeloupe to taste. This has been described as a rum aged between 3 and 6 years, with delicious notes of vanilla and red fruits.

But Kou de Foudre is a much younger rum than the JR Cuvée Spécial, which ages for +3 years in bourbon barrels. They have the same unique distillation which allows you to obtain a refined rum. It is also an aperitif rum to drink neat, as a Ti-punch or in a cocktail. I invite you to discover it.

We call him “the little brother of the JR”. We have more and more demand for the JR Cuvée and we are forced to cut orders by 2 or 3. We want to keep the JR quality and not modify its production. Indeed, rum is not like a cake that you put in the oven for a few hours. It's quite a program.

More generally, in terms of glassware, we understand that you are redesigning the packaging, can you tell us more?

During covid, we had great difficulty obtaining supplies from our supplier. We decided to change our bottle shape to be sure to have a beautiful container for our vintages. The new cylindrical shape represents the shape of a barrel . We took the opportunity to update our labels for a more qualitative and modern look.

Are you planning some great outings for us in the coming weeks or months?

We have just released 405 copies of the Cuvée Légende to celebrate the 90th birthday of Léopold Reimonenq and his 76 years of experience. It is a Special Rum Single Cask JR Cuvée aged for 6 years in barrels containing Kentucky bourbon. This Brut de cask is 54%. This rum is intended for our rum lovers, it is sold with a certificate of membership and was offered as a preview to the respondents of a questionnaire that we published on our Facebook page. 

A new rum punch enters our range with the 25% Mojito based on “Kou de Foudre” rum to be enjoyed chilled plain or with sparkling water. We are, of course, preparing new products to delight your taste buds.

La tour Reimonenq
La tour Reimonenq

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Interview by

Matthieu Lange
Matthieu Lange
Spirits Advisor