In 1882, Maison Saint-Etienne was purchased by Amédée Aubéry, who undertook major modernisation work on the former Martinican sugar factory to transform it into a distillery producing agricultural rum. The site became known for the striking façade with 28 windows he built to optimise ventilation within the building. Since 1994, the property has been run with great skill by Yves and José Hayot. Production starts with sugarcane harvested from February to June. To preserve the freshness of the juice, the sugarcane is quickly transported to the distillery, where it is pressed and then fermented according to the specific profile of each juice. The resulting spirit is then reduced with spring water from the river that runs alongside the estate. The rums are matured in oak casks or exotic wood casks, which bring fullness and the complex aromatics that define the finest Martinican rums.

HSE XO Grande Réserve is a blend of rums aged for 6-8 years in oak casks with a little Grande Réserve 1960.