MARTINIQUE — It’s a rainy afternoon on the outskirts of Fort de France. We drive up a road through the waving green of cane fields and enter a dimly-lit distillery, vibrant with the clang of steam-powered machinery, raw and primal.

This is La Favorite, the venerable rum house just outside Martinique’s capital where some of the island’s most beloved rhum agricole is made.

There is no flash about the place, just good, honest rummaking,

But if you make your way to the far back corner of the warehouse you will find a tiny boutique filled with gold. Black gold.

Here at La Favorite’s tasting room and shop is one of the few places on earth where you can find a very special rum: Privilege de La Favorite.

While we’ve extolled the wonders of the single-vintage La Flibuste, an annual-release rum boasting 30 years of aging in oak barrels, the Privilege is the next level up.

Inside this dark green bottle designed to look even older than it is, sealed with wax, is a blend of rums of between 30 and 35 years of age, making for one of the world’s greatest rum blends.

There are just 2,500 bottles of this produced every year, and it is, in a word, out of this world.

More than three decades of waiting in oak barrels in the humid tropical heat of Martinique have given the rum a dark brown color to the point of nearly being black.

The aroma is sweet and robust, with notes of caramel, milk chocolate, molasses and licorice.

The flavor profile is marked by caramel, cocoa powder, sugarcane juice, coffee, vanilla and even a hint of chocolate syrup, at once earthy and sweet.

There is a perfection about this rum, the sense that you truly can taste what time has done to a decades-old rum.

Even better still, you can still taste the simple, pure La Favorite rum at its core, calling to you from the past, reminding what this rum was like at its origins.

It’s an effect that takes you simultaenously to two points in time, now and three decades before, fusing into one unforgettable experience.

This is a legendary rum, the kind of rum that one must make the trip to this place to obtain.

But those who journey here will be rewarded.

— Alexander Britell

The post Rum Journal: A Bucket-List Caribbean Rum appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico — US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) seized 1,320 pounds (600 kilos) of cocaine on Wednesday after intercepting a vessel near the southern coast of Puerto Rico and arresting two men onboard. The estimated value of the cocaine…

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Vacation Express is launching new nonstop flights to Jamaica, the travel company announced this week.

The new flights will operate between Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, with flights departing weekly on Sundays.

The service will operate from May 28 through Aug. 6, 2017 for six-night vacation packages.

The Vacation Express flights will be operated by Swift Air on Boeing 737 aircraft.

Guests can either purchase roundtrip airfare or six-night packages including air and hotel.

It’s the latest Caribbean flight for CVG Airport, which now offers flights to destinations including Montego Bay, Cancun, Punta Cana and Grand Bahama.

— Caribbean Journal staff

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JetBlue is expanding its service to the Caribbean with a new route to Haiti.

The carrier has announced plans to launch nonstop flights between Port-au-Prince’s Toussaint Louverture International Airport and Orlando International Airport later this year.

The flights are projected to begin in December pending government approval, the company said, with seats expected to go out for sale in the coming weeks.

“Service between Orlando and Port-au-Prince will provide a valuable link between Haiti’s capital city and many communities in central Florida that currently lack nonstop flights from their closest major airport,” said John Checketts, vice president network planning, JetBlue. “Now, with flights from four of our focus cities, JetBlue will connect more U.S. cities with Port-au-Prince than any other airline.”

JetBlue already operates flights to Haiti from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, Boston Logan International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

“I am pleased to congratulate JetBlue on this new air route, which it is inaugurating, linking the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, with the city of Orlando,” said Haiti’s Minister of Tourism Jessy Menos. “This new destination will have the merit of better serving Haitians and Americans wanting to visit both states. Thus, new opportunities are opening to the tourism sector and operators, to tourists, this, through the diversification of North American destinations. So, we say JetBlue, congratulations.”

JetBlue will operate the route on 100-seat Embraer 190 aircraft.

— CJ

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One of the Caribbean’s top hotels is getting even better.

Four Seasons Resort Nevis, which was voted the Caribbean’s best beach resort by Caribbean Journal readers last year, has introduced a host of new offers and experiences from spas to villa stays.

Guests looking to experience the resort’s largest and most unique options are able to book a villa and save 40 percent on stays of three nights or more with the Live Large & Prosper promotion.

Ranging from one to seven bedrooms and spanning 648 – 3,961 square feet, these more than 50 villas offer abundant interior and exterior living space and views of Nevis Peak, the Robert Trent Jones II-designed golf course, lush gardens and the Caribbean Sea.

These villas, each with its own character, also offer fully-equipped kitchens, plunge pools or full-size pools on expansive deck; some with in-villa fitness rooms and spa-treatment rooms.

Additional services and amenities for villa guests include: complimentary six-seat golf cart, dedicated Villa Ambassador for daily needs or special requests, 24-hour Four Seasons In-Villa Dining, twice-daily housekeeping service, private chefs on request, custom-tailored pre-arrival provisioning service, complimentary wireless Internet access and full access to all resort service and amenities, including complimentary use of non-motorized watersports.

For those planning their travels well-ahead, Four Seasons Resort Nevis is also offering the Advance Purchase promotion, providing guests who book one of the resort’s 196 rooms or suites at least 60 days in advance with 30 percent off the published rate.

Guests of these rooms and suites, ranging in size from 490 – 1,761 square feet, step through wooden-shuttered sliding glass doors onto a private balcony or patio for views of Nevis Peak or Pinney’s Beach.

The resort is also offering an experiential taste of Nevis with the new Summit & Spa Experience.

Beginning with a guided hike to the top of iconic Nevis Peak, guests take in views of the Caribbean Sea, sister island St. Kitts, Anguilla, Antigua, Montserrat and the Atlantic Ocean.

After a short drive back to the resort, guests are led to the spa, where they enjoy an island-inspired lunch in the garden, complemented by a view of Nevis Peak.

The experience concludes with a signature Nevisian Massage, reflecting the beauty and natural history of the island.

The Nevisian Massage begins with a relaxing and cleansing foot ritual in the outdoor lounge, where feet are bathed in warm, lemongrass-infused water, before a detoxifying aromatic scrub is applied.

From there, guests are escorted to a treatment room for the exquisite massage, which features a locally-infused blend of oils inspired by exotic scents and spices of the West Indies.

Long flowing strokes mimic the waves of the Caribbean Sea, easing the senses and recharging the mind and body.

“We are excited to introduce these great new offers and experiences to our guests,” said Ed Gannon, general manager of Four Seasons Resort Nevis. “Whether for one of our incredible villas, or a room or suite, these offers provide great value to all those coming our way for pure and warm Nevisian hospitality and authentic experiences like Summit & Spa.”

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

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