Bologne is the oldest distillery in Guadeloupe. It is named after a family of Dutch settlers who had been chased out of Brazil by the Spanish and Portuguese. After a failed attempt to set up in Martinique, the Bolognes finally found refuge in Guadeloupe, where they established their estate and distillery in Basse-Terre. At the end of the 19th century, as sugar production began to wane, its focus turned to rum. Bologne was bought by Louis Sargenton-Callard in 1930. For a long time, the distillery only produced white rum and it was not until 2008 that it began producing aged rum, under the guidance of the new cellar master Frédéric David.

A Bologne 7 year old distilled in 2014 and bottled in 2022 for the Flora Antillarum series, which features three bottlings of rum from Guadeloupe. Velier was founded in Genoa by Casimir Chaix in 1947. It was originally a small, family-run business specializing in the import and distribution of wine and spirits. Luca Gargano, a former representative for Saint James and serious rum collector and enthusiast, bought the business in 1986 and began bottling whisky first in 1992 and then rum in 1996. Rums selected by Velier are only ever aged in a tropical climate, which explains both their concentration and the high angel’’s share. They are generally bottled at cask strength or just below. Its selections from Diamond’’s vaults, the Caroni bottlings and the bottlings from various distilleries in Jamaica, Barbados and other countries are key to rum’’s history and are today some of the most sought-after in the category. A limited edition of 1,000 bottles.