Séverin Estate / Domaine de Séverin
Séverin Estate / Domaine de Séverin (Sainte-Rose, Basse-Terre) — the Séverin family has been distilling rum in Sainte-Rose, north of Basse-Terre, since 1927. Their 50-proof white rum earned Gold at Paris’s Concours Général Agricole in 2007. Open to the public, the estate is a great place to learn about how local rum is made—from growing the sugar cane to bottling the alcohol—but also to witness an amusing West Indies fishing technique. The Séverins started farming the succulent ouassous back in the eighties.
A small train is on the premises for visitors to see the different areas of the rummaker’s facility (such as its crayfish ponds, sugarcane fields, the distillery’s active waterwheel, and the founder’s mansion).
Admission: free (to visit the facility on foot). For participants of the small train tour: €11 per person (adult), €16 (children 4 to 12 years of age). Hours: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm (every day except Sunday). Small train tours are scheduled three times every morning, and one to two times every afternoon. Check the Severin website for more details: www.severinrhum.com