April Auction starts Friday 12 April. Bottle deadline 8 April.

Saint James Blanc circa 1960s

Lot: 6507

Saint James Blanc circa 1960s

Winning Bid: £150

Currency Estimate

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Lot:
Distillery: 
Saint James Saint-Pierre
Age: 
N/A
Vintage: 
n/a
Region: 
Martinique
Bottler: 
Official
Cask Type: 
N/A
Bottled Strength: 
50%
Bottle Size: 
75cl
Distillery Status: 
Closed
Production method: 
column still
Base: 
pure cane juice
product Details

Saint James Blanc circa 1960s

The Saint James brand was founded in 1765 in Saint-Pierre by the alchemist priest, Edmund Lefébure, who had built a sugar mill and distillery on the Trouvaillant estate to raise funds for the Hospitaller order, Fathers for Charity. The order lost all of their possessions following the French revolution, and the estate on Martinique passed from the state into private hands. The most successful of these was François-Paulin Lambert, who took over the Saint James plantation in 1890 having worked at its distributor for many years. It was Lambert who patented the now iconic square bottle in 1882. His family ran the Saint-Pierre distillery where this was produced until 1955, surviving both the devastating eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, and the rum market collapse following the first world war. The following two decades saw a period of transition for Saint James, which converted for the first time to the production of agricole rather than molasses-based rums, and moved to a new distillery at Saint-Marie in 1974, funded by new owners, Cointreau. Today it is run by La Martinquaise (who bought it from Remy Cointreau in 2003) and is one of the largest rum producers on the island, operating six creole column stills to produce over 4 million litres of rum per year.

This bottle dates to around the late 1950s or 1960s. François-Paulin Lambert's son, Ernest had died in 1955 and the company was sold by his widow shortly after. This bottling likely dats to around the period of the switch to distilling agricole rum in stead of a molasses-based product.

Important Notice

We would recommend viewing/close inspection prior to placing any bids. If this is not an option and you have questions beyond the offered description and images, please contact us for a more in-depth condition report. Otherwise lots will be sold as seen in the images.

Please note: Due to the various ages of bottles and their seals, condition of liquid is at the buyer's discretion and no claim can be lodged against failure/leakage in transit.