Hamilton is at least an equal-opportunity griper. The primary reason for this particular visit to Martinique was a stop at Distillerie Neisson, the crown jewel of his portfolio, a family-owned operation that's considered by many to be the best on the island. It's tiny, even by the standards of Martinique distilleries, painted in saturated shades of purple and lime green. We weren't there for 10 minutes before Hamilton scampered into a pile of sugarcane, dodging a swinging set of mechanical jaws that were actively loading the cane into the distillery. He was dismayed by what he found. Cut sugarcane begins to spoil almost immediately after it is harvested, and the cane he pulled off the pile had gone soft on the ends. Owner Grégory Vernant emerged from his office and confirmed Hamilton's hunch, aghast: There had been a mechanical problem on Saturday afternoon, and it was now Monday morning.

Leah Cohen