Rhum Barbancourt White Rum

Rhum Barbancourt White is Haiti's classic white rhum — distilled from 100% fresh-pressed sugarcane juice (not molasses), rhum-agricole style, by the Société du Rhum Barbancourt of Port-au-Prince. Unaged and crystal clear, the classic expression is bottled at 43% ABV in a 750mL bottle: bright, grassy cane character with the cognac-influenced distillation heritage of a house founded in 1862 by Dupré Barbancourt, a Frenchman from the Cognac region. Available to order online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.

• ABV: 43% (86 proof) — classic white; a 55% "Haitian Proof" variant also exists on US shelves; label read pending
• Size: 750mL
• Style: rhum agricole — 100% fresh sugarcane juice (Madame Mevs hybrid cane), unaged / minimally rested
• Distilling: cognac-style heritage — founder Dupré Barbancourt applied Cognac-region technique to Haitian cane; confirm still wording from the bottle
• Origin: Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Société du Rhum Barbancourt, founded 18 March 1862; family-owned (CEO Delphine Nathalie Gardère since 2020); Domaine Barbancourt, Plaine du Cul-de-Sac

Cognac Technique, Haitian Cane

Dupré Barbancourt arrived from the Cognac/Charente region of France and, on 18 March 1862, founded a rum house on cognac principles: double distillation and fresh cane juice instead of molasses. The house moved to Domaine Barbancourt in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac in 1949 and has survived everything since — including the 2010 earthquake, when production resumed within months. Today, still family-owned under fifth-generation CEO Delphine Nathalie Gardère, it draws on a network of 3,000+ local growers raising Madame Mevs hybrid cane. The white expression is the unaged face of the house: all cane, all clarity. It remains Haiti's most famous export. Explore more Rhum Barbancourt or the store's rum collection.

Tasting Notes

Bright and grassy: fresh-cut sugarcane, citrus peel, and white flowers, with a clean, mineral edge. The palate is vivid and warming at 43%, finishing crisp and cane-sweet rather than oaky.

How to Enjoy

The classic ti-punch (rhum, lime, cane sugar) is the home serve — or deploy it in a daiquiri, where the cane-juice character outshines any molasses white rum. Serve neat to taste the raw material.

Frequently Asked Questions

No — Barbancourt distills 100% fresh-pressed sugarcane juice, rhum-agricole style, the opposite of most molasses-based rums.

The classic white is 43% ABV; Barbancourt also bottles a 110-proof (55% ABV) "Haitian Proof" white — check the bottle label to confirm which expression this is.

Barbancourt was founded in 1862 by a Frenchman from the Cognac region and has used cognac-influenced distillation on fresh cane juice ever since — considered Haiti's most famous export.

Haiti's most famous export in its purest form — order Rhum Barbancourt White online at Del Mesa Liquor.