Bally

The baron de Lajus was established in Carbet in 1774 by buying a house with a small sugar mill, operating with a water mill dating from 1670. In 1902, the Habitation Lajus escapes the eruption of Mount Pelée, and is subject to foreclosure.

Jacques Bally, Engineer of the Arts and Manufactures of Paris, bought it in 1917. He rebuilt the house and brought together the fragmented lands. He himself built a new distillation column, installed a steam engine and improved the equipment. It grew up in 1925 by acquiring the lands of Dariste.

Inspired by the traditional techniques of Cognac and liqueur production, he was one of the first to consider aging the rum in barrels, and on site. His rum is quickly making a place on the local market. But the crisis of the 1930 threatens Bally. Jacques then put all about the quality and commercial potential of old rums, which were a great success. As visionary, he created the triangular – and then squared – bottle that made his rum famous all over the world in 1930.

Jean, the 8th of the 10 Bally children, enters the business at the end of the second war, joined in 1954 by his nephew. Together, they improve the grinding capacity of the distillery and modernize the facilities. In the 1970s, after an agreement with the Rémy Cointreau Group, the small distillery of Carbet definitely stops “smoking”, but part of aging is maintained there.

In 1996, the Group took full control of the brand – the Lajus “habitation” remains Bally family’s property.