The Le Galion Distillery, located in La Trinité, Martinique, is the last operating sugar refinery on the island. Founded between 1861 and 1865, it preserves an important piece of the region’s sugar and rum-making heritage. Unlike agricultural rhums, Le Galion produces molasses-based “rhum de sucrerie”, using specific techniques that give its spirits a truly distinctive style. Its most emblematic product is the Grand Arôme, a characterful rum crafted through an exceptionally long natural fermentation (8 to 10 days) in open vats, often enriched with “vinasse” (distillation residues). This process generates a very high concentration of esters and aromas. The resulting fermented mash yields a low alcohol content (≈ 5.5 %) but an intensely expressive aromatic profile — the source of the rum’s famous “funky”, powerful and deeply layered character. Distillation takes place in a column still, following an industrial tradition adapted to molasses and defined by the Rhum de la Baie du Galion geographical indication. The final product can be bottled as white rum, aged rum (matured at least 6 months in oak), or unaged Grand Arôme. More than a producer, Le Galion represents a unique heritage: a historic sugar refinery, an industrial molasses rum distillery, and the last guardian of a rare and essential Martinican tradition.

Swell by Spirits is created in 2021 by Michael Barbaria. Its bottlings come from a meticulous selection of exceptional barrels in collaboration with each producer, to which it pays homage by succeeding in captivating the most discerning taste buds of enlightened amateurs. Its bottles, with a design just as original as the liquid they contain, make Swell de Spirits a key player on the independent scene.