The Séverin estate’s history began when a Mr Séverin bought Habitation Bellevue in the early 19th century. The distillery was founded in 1928 by Henri Marsolle in Saint-Rose, in the north of Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe). In 1933, Marsolle installed a huge cane mill operated by a large wheel turned by water from the main tributary of the Grande Rivière, which was connected to the distillery by a two-mile long canal. The mill, which is today purely decorative, became the distillery’s symbol. Henri Marsolle was joined by his sons Joseph and Edouard in 1952. Edouard died in 1964 when a boiler exploded. After this, Joseph decided to modernize the distillery, installing a 19-tray Creole still in 1966. In 2014, the Marsolle family sold 65% of its shares to José Pirbakas. This led to a legal dispute between the Marsolle family and José Pirbakas which ended with the distillery being excluded from the estate in 2019.

An aged Guadeloupe rum produced at the Séverin estate.