A visit to Karukera

17 February 2025 | Discover
A visit to Karukera

In 2006, Grégoire Hayot, whose ancestor ran the Grosse Montagne sugar distillery in Guadeloupe, opened the Karukera rum distillery. For him, distillation and aging are two distinct crafts. Aging is the interaction between the spirit and the compounds of the wood.

An Cellar

Karukera has about 1,200 barrels of 350 liters spread across different sites, the main one being located in Sainte-Marie. While the bourbon barrel is widely used in Guadeloupe, Grégoire Hayot prefers to use for the first aging a French oak, namely sessile oak and pedunculate oak, for the aromas they deliver and their strength. The new barrel allows for rapid extraction of the natural compounds from the wood as well as the compounds obtained by toasting the barrel. Then used ex-Cognac barrels were favored to round out the tannins and enhance the structure and aromatic palette of the rum. Today, due to costs and time constraints, it is more difficult to obtain quality ex-Cognac barrels. Karukera distillery is therefore led to acquire barrels that have only been used for one or two years to enrich a Cognac. This choice allows to combine the advantages of the new barrel which offers a nice aromatic extraction and that of the used barrels by providing flexibility in maturation. Karukera has also recently expanded by building a new aging cellar. It is not yet full; new barrels are already installed and others will follow.

An experience

Grégoire Hayot, passionate about the art of aging, aims to experience the aging of light cane juice rum. With the help of Tonnellerie Seguin Moreau, Karukera has selected three barrel profiles suitable for this type of rum: two French oaks and one Caucasian oak with three different toastings. The idea of this production, the first results of which will be visible around April and May (that's soon!), is to provide Guadeloupean enthusiasts with rums that are softer and rounder, alongside the more complex and spicy rums already aged by the brand. Stay tuned...

The Tasting

We had the opportunity to taste some rums. Among them, we noted a rum aged in a new barrel, which benefited from a "Peated Whisky" heating, namely triple heating, carried out by the Seguin Moreau cooperage. This one was particularly remarkable. It had rich notes and Corinthian raisin on the palate, with a beautiful smoky note. We are eagerly awaiting it.

And soon...

Karukera has two copper stills that are waiting to be set up. Karukera is a rum distillery that has been acquiring rum from Guadeloupean producers for nearly 20 years to age it in barrels. Soon, Karukera will become a distillery. Does this mean Karukera will stop sourcing from the Montebello distillery? No. The stills and the fermentation workshop will be used to experiment with particular long fermentations, which will be processed through these double boiler stills. The idea is not to disrupt the production method of Karukera rums but to expand it.

In the long term, Karukera distillery will be able to offer the renowned agricultural rums we know, but also rounder and lighter rums as well as rums distilled and aged on-site revealing different profiles.

Fermentation tanks, Karukera
Fermentation tanks, Karukera
A beautiful tasting, Karukera
A beautiful tasting, Karukera
The Warehouses of Karukera
The Warehouses of Karukera

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Written by

Matthieu Lange
Spirits Advisor