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Saint James
Distillery

Saint James

Saint-James is Martinique's biggest distillery and one of the oldest names in bottled rum, founded in 1765 and still selling a square bottle it trademarked in 1882. It holds the largest stock of aged rhum in the French Antilles, runs what may be the world's best distillation museum, and its old vintages and J. Bally bottlings are among the most loved Martinique rums on RumX.

  • Cult Les Éphémères vintage series
  • Deep woody, torréfié house style
  • Strong aged J. Bally millésimes
Loved by LukaŽiga, TheRhumhoe, Tim & over 2,500 more

RumX market intelligence

As of September 2026

Community score
8.1/10
ratings
4,802
bottles catalogued
256
available to buy now
115
Saint James
RumX Guide

An English name for a French rum

Read the full guide

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The community's favourite for every occasion, from 320,000 ratings — next to it every bottle that fits.

Top-rated rums from Saint James

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The Saint James lineup compared

Which bottling is the better one is decided neither by price nor by the age on the label. Here they stand side by side, sorted by the community's median rating. The number of ratings sits next to it: a high score from few voices says less than a middling one from many.

BottlingAgeABVCommunity scorePrice
J. Bally Millésime 1999 LMDW Rhum Agricole AOC18 years · 54,5%18 years54,5%9.0/10 80 reviews432 €
Corman Collins Saint James Rhum Saint James 2002 Rhum Agricole AOC17 years 10mo · 52,4%17 years 10mo52,4%9.0/10 78 reviews296 €
LMDW J. Bally Millésime 1998 Rhum Agricole17 years · 59,1%17 years59,1%9.0/10 51 reviews356 €
Saint James Les Ephémères - N°1 2001 Rhum Agricole AOC20 years · 55,2%20 years55,2%8.8/10 221 reviews145 €
Saint James 1885 Rhum Agricole47%—47%8.8/10 12 reviews11,990 €
Bedford Park Saint James Single Barrel French Antilles Rum 2017 Rhum Agricole7 years · 57,6%7 years57,6%8.8/10 12 reviews59 €
La Confrérie du Rhum Saint James Brut de fût 2003 Rhum Agricole AOC14 years 11mo · 59%14 years 11mo59%8.7/10 91 reviews143 €
Saint James Single Cask 1998 Rhum Agricole AOC17 years · 42,8%17 years42,8%8.7/10 37 reviews154 €

99 bottlings meet the minimum rating count; the 24 best-rated are shown. The rest are in the grid below.

Only bottlings with at least 10 ratings are included. Anything below that is not a sound basis for comparison.

Saint James vintages

Single cask bottlings often carry the year of distillation. The vintage page shows what else went into cask that same year.

2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2015 2014 2012 2010 2009 Explore Rums by Vintage Year →

Community purchases

8,053 bottles from Saint James bought by the community.

+107 purchases in the last 3 months.

Added to collections, last 12 months — dark bars are the last 3.

as of

RumX Community

Community reviews: Saint James

Saint James 10 ans (Cuvée Transat) 2015

Review by Eric Frechin

Eric Frechin
Eric Frechin
May 2026265 reviewsFrance
8.2/10

Gouté au rhumfest Paris 2026, en fin de journée. Bon représentant de la marque, le rapport qualité/prix est bien. Je le préfère largement au 9 et 12 ans car je le trouve plus rond. Le boisé est au top.

Auto-translated 20 found this helpful
Saint James Double Cask (Ex-Armagnac & Ex-Porto)

Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰

Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Oct 20255,612 reviewsDenmark
8.0/10

#5766 28.09.2025 Day two of the Whisky Live 2025, which this year looks better organized/arranged inside. An exciting experiment in my mind and you can get a bit of the armagnac cask in the profile. Good ABV and wood integration with fruits and light chocolate and caramel.

20 found this helpful
J. Bally Art Déco #3 2003

Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰

Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Sep 20255,612 reviewsDenmark
8.4/10

#5729 27.09.2025 Day one of the Whisky Live 2025, which this year looks better organized/arranged inside. Just like the two previous releases, this one is also very light and smooth with a lot of fruity notes as well as spices, floral and caramel.

22 found this helpful
Saint James 1982

Review by TheJackDrop

TheJackDrop
TheJackDrop
Apr 2025903 reviewsFrance
9.0/10

Saint James, Millésime 1982, 43% Ce flacon précieux est, à lui seul, un concentré d'histoire : tout en rancio racé et en élégance. Nez . Ultra agréable, rancio, bonbon acidulé au fruits, frais, cuir, légère pointe animale. Avec aération un peu de porto. Bouche. Fruité, doux, …

Saint James 15 Ans

Review by LukaŽiga

LukaŽiga
LukaŽiga
Feb 2025798 reviewsSlovenia
8.3/10

8:On the nose the aromas explode in your face from the very first moment. Both fresh and deeply spicy, the nose is very woody and expressive. It succeeds in combining strong notes of velvety honey with intoxicating power. The woodiness is finely spiced and very classy, like a …

Saint James VSOP

Review by Martin Ekrt

Martin Ekrt
Martin Ekrt
Jan 2025311 reviewsCzech
8.1/10

Moc povedená agricole vůně, nasládlá, muškátový oříšek, vanilka. Nečekal jsem, že mi tak mladý agricole bude chutnat. Moc příjemná nasládlost dělá tento rum velmi přístupným. Vše vyvážené dle mých představ.

12 found this helpful
Saint James Les Éphémères - N°5 2005

Review by Dr.Django

Dr.Django
Dr.Django
Dec 2024345 reviewsGermany
8.5/10

Direct comparison between the St. James Epheremes 5 & 7: both are great examples of typical agricole with woody notes, dried fruits, lots of leather and a long dry finish. The grassy aromas are only subliminally present here. No. 5 is a little lighter and fruitier on the …

Auto-translated 42 found this helpful
Perola Saint James Bellamy's Reserve Martinique (Pear Cask Finish) 2024

Review by crazyforgoodbooze

crazyforgoodbooze
crazyforgoodbooze
Nov 20242,484 reviewsGermany
7.6/10

Überraschend runder und süffiger Agricole Rhum von Saint James in Anbetracht des jungen Alters. Sehr cremig und mild auf der Zunge, ohne zu dünn zu wirken mit schönen Aromen aus Milchschokolade, Zimt, gelbem Steinobst, Blütenhonig und frischem Zuckerrohr, sowie etwas Kamillentee …

How the crew scored it Saint James

RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.1 sits in the “Very good” band. 83% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →

Flavour profile of Saint James

Top aromas · nose & palate
Woody72%
Vanilla40%
Sugarcane38%
Dried fruit34%
Fruity · nose only34%
Spice · nose only27%
Peppery · palate only23%

154 of 256 bottles have detailed tasting notes · Click an aroma to explore similar rums

The RumX Guide to Saint James

An English name for a French rum

Saint-James dates its founding to 1765, when a learned monk, Pere Lefebure, set up a sugar factory and rum distillery near Saint-Pierre. Because France banned rum imports, he gave it an English-sounding name, Saint-James, to sell into New England. In 1882 the Marseille trader Paulin Lambert trademarked the name and introduced the squat square bottle, which saved shipping space and cut breakage. The brand still uses it today, decades before Johnnie Walker or Cointreau made the shape famous.

From Saint-Pierre to Sainte-Marie

The 1902 eruption destroyed the original distillery, and for three decades Saint-James rum was made at other estates Lambert bought with the insurance money. A new distillery was built in 1929, and production moved permanently to Sainte-Marie on the northeast Atlantic coast in 1974. After bankruptcy in 1958, the brand passed through Picon and Cointreau before La Martiniquaise, which also owns Depaz and Dillon, took over in 2003.

Six columns, a pot still, and J. Bally

Saint-James is well armed: six creole columns plus two modern columns process up to a tonne of cane a minute during harvest, with column distillate around 73 percent. It also runs a batch still for its Coeur de Chauffe, the only pot-distilled rhum agricole on Martinique, which falls below the AOC's 65 percent rule and so sits outside the appellation. The distillery has made the J. Bally brand alongside its own since 1996, and uses some molasses in partnership with Le Galion.

The largest aged stock in the French Antilles

New rum goes into around 16,000 ex-bourbon and French-oak casks between 55 and 68 percent, and unlike Depaz, Saint-James does not consolidate same-age casks to slow the angel's share. The result is a staggering range, from five white expressions to many double-digit-age rhums. Two on-site museums tell the story, one of them described as probably the best distillation museum in the world, alongside a working cooperage. Rum-making is overseen by Marc Sassier, chairman of the Martinique AOC committee.

What the RumX community drinks

Saint-James is one of the most reviewed distilleries on the platform. The Saint James Les Ephemeres N1 has drawn over 200 ratings, while old J. Bally millesimes like the J. Bally Millesime 1999 reach 9.0/10, among the very best aged Martinique rums here. Because Saint-James releases so widely, from cane-juice agricole to indie single casks, there is a long ladder to climb.

Frequently Asked Questions about Saint James

La Martiniquaise (COFEPP), since 2003. The same group owns Depaz and the Dillon brand. Saint-James is the largest distillery on Martinique.

Paulin Lambert introduced and trademarked it in 1882 because it saved shipping space and reduced breakage. A court later ruled the shape was part of the brand’s identity. Saint-James pioneered it decades before other spirits made it iconic.

A pot-distilled rhum from fresh cane juice, bottled at 60 percent. It is the only pot-distilled rhum agricole on Martinique, and because it is distilled below the AOC’s 65 percent rule, it cannot be classified as AOC Martinique rhum agricole.

A heritage Martinique brand made at Saint-James since 1996. Old J. Bally millesimes are highly rated by the RumX community, with several reaching 9.0/10.

Start with a white agricole or the popular Les Ephemeres. For the highest community ratings, the old J. Bally and Saint-James millesimes lead the way.

RumX offers the world’s largest selection of rum through our innovative shop-in-shop marketplace, similar to Amazon. For Saint James rums, we currently have 284 offers starting from €15.50 across 29 partner shops including Rum & Co, Rum Piraten, Wein-Riegger, Perola, Whiskysite.nl, PASSION RHUM. Our platform compares prices in real-time from specialized rum retailers worldwide, ensuring you always find the best deals.

The RumX database currently contains 256 different rums from Saint James. This includes various expressions, limited editions, and bottlings across different age statements and proof levels. Our community has contributed over 4802 reviews for Saint James rums, making it one of the most comprehensive resources for exploring this brand’s full range. New releases are added regularly as they become available.

According to the RumX community, J. Bally Millésime 1999 LMDW 1999 18yr 54,5% is currently the highest-rated Saint James rum with an impressive rating of 9.0/10 based on 80 reviews. This expression has earned praise for its exceptional quality and represents the pinnacle of what Saint James has to offer. However, taste is subjective, and we encourage you to explore the full range to find your personal favorite.
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Rating guide

RumX's 0–10 scale is strict. Here's what each band means.

9.0–10.0 Excellent Stash as many as you can afford. Tell no one.
8.0–8.9 Very good Bank a backup. Tell everyone you meet.
7.0–7.9 Good Buy one and recommend it to your friends.
6.0–6.9 Pleasant Solid, super glad I drank it.
5.0–5.9 Average Totally acceptable.
4.0–4.9 Drinkable Not vocally complaining.
3.0–3.9 Poor Wish I was drinking something else.
2.0–2.9 Very poor Nothing nice to say.
1.0–1.9 Unpleasant No, that's not for me.
0.1–0.9 Inedible Pour it out.