In November 1493, when Christopher Columbus arrived on the coast of Saint-Marie, on this butterfly-shaped virgin land, it was inhabited by Indo-Caribbeans who had named it Karukéra, the “Island of Beautiful Waters”. In the same location as this historic discovery, in the Domaine of Marquisat de Saint-Marie, lies the oldest distillery in operation in Guadeloupe, as well as the Karukera rum distillery. It is at this estate dedicated to sugarcane and rum production that the distillery completes all other steps in production, from maturation to reduction, brewing, and ageing in cognac, sherry and Sauternes casks.

A cask strength Karukera 2008 bottled for the Expression range, made from R579 and B69.566 sugarcane, more commonly known as blue cane, grown on the Sainte Marie estate. A limited edition of 1,500 bottles released to celebrate La Maison du Whisky’’s 60th anniversary. La Maison du Whisky is a whisky and spirits importer and distributor founded by Georges Bénitah in 1956.