Malternatives on Sunday, Rhum from Martinique

March 22, 2015

Malternatives on Sunday, today Rhum from Martinique
As promised, we’ll now start to try to make our little rum sessions a little better focussed on styles, or regions, or even brands/distilleries.

Rhum (40%, OB, Wolfberger, +/-2015)

A mysterious rhum by Alsatian wine and drinks giant Wolfberger. The label wouldn't say where it comes from or give any other clues, but as it's signed 'Wolfberger Distillers', let's assume it was made by them, in Alsace (but in all logic, it should rather be Martiniquan or Guadeloupean). Colour: gold. Nose: a warming rum, very Caribbean, shock full of ripe bananas, liquorice, ripe pineapples, briny cane juice and caramel. It’s probably very young, but I find it epitomatically Martiniquan. Mouth: the body’s a bit thin, and there’s probably too much colouring caramel, but I find the remainder pleasant, with good character and caneness (!). Having said that, this style is probably better on ice cream or in ‘aged’ mojitos. Finish: short, with too much caramel. Comments: I had feared an utter disaster, but yeah, as I said, it’s rather okay. The nose was much nicer than the palate. SGP:530 - 68 points.

Oh well, let’s rather have older Martiniquan agricoles…

La Favorite 1990 (40%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-1998)

La Favorite Distillerie remains extremely traditional and is highly regarded. Their output is quite small. Colour: amber. Nose: starts a tad oaky, with plenty of pencil shavings and chocolate, but oxygen does it much good and will let complex tertiary notes of sauces and aromatic herbs come through. I find a little mint and gravy (and yet it’s no English-style rum ;-)), then soy sauce, shiitake, Maggi and all that. Plus, of course, briny cane juice. A rather unusual profile, extremely far from the sugar bombs that tend to invade our rum shelves. Mouth: xactly the same phenomenon. A bit of oak and liquorice at first, then subtle yet assertive notes of meat sauces, mushrooms, mint, tobacco, salted liquorice… It’s really a pity that the ABV wasn’t a tad higher, though. Finish: a bit short, but salty and gamy at times, then salty and kippery. Comments: complex and characterful old style agricole, just a little weak(ish). SGP:461 - 84 points.

How shall we go on? Maybe have three famous Martiniquan agricoles that where distilled in the 1970s…

Saint James 1979 (43%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2000)

Maybe is it time to remind you what’s ‘rhum agricole’. To cut a long story short, it’s rhum that’s distilled from cane juice rather than molasses. Earlier this year we had a Saint James 1885 and then a 1939. Glorious stuff, my my! However, modern Saint James have lost a little cachet according to rum lovers. Colour: deep gold. Nose: big rich and thick nose, this is almost concentrated overripe banana mixed with strong honey (chestnut style), pitch and gherkin juice. It’s well an agricole, but if it was Scotch, it would be a sherry monster. Old Macallan Cask Strength or something. Mouth: very heavy. Even in your glass, it moves like oil. Plenty of roasted nuts, marmalade, strong honey again, heavy liquorice, black raisins and bananas, prunes, tobacco… Well, if you like them fat, you’d love this. What’s striking is that it never gets as sickly sweet as other very dark rums. It’s well an agricole. Finish: very long, ample, now with more salty/briny notes. Comments: not sure whether this bottle was from the ‘good’ or from the ‘better’ era. I find it almost perfect. SGP:662 - 88 points.

J. Bally 1975 (43%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-1995)

Another well-known old brand/distillery that often use these famous triangular bottles, although that’s not the case here. The style should be a little lighter than that of the Saint James. Colour: amber. Nose: indeed, this is a lighter, more floral style, but it’s certainly not void of any cane-y notes. Bananas and lilies, then rather more humus than in the others, some milk chocolate, some liquorice, a little leather, a little smoked meat (smoked beef jerky)… And even Grisons meat. Also whiffs of old roses. Mouth: rather fatter than expected, with more liquorice and brine. Much more liquorice and brine! And then blood orange juice (lovely stuff), a touch of black olive and a touch of coffee. Balance is perfect. High-class rhum agricole. Finish: long, with a little more fruit (bananas, obviously) and a perfect briny signature. Comments: it’s impossible to tell you which one I preferred, between the Saint James and the Bally. So, same score. Maybe will the last one call the shots? SGP:552 - 88 points.

Trois Rivières 1974 (45%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-1995)

I believe there were earlier bottlings of 1974, but this one’s a 70cl, so it just cannot be very old. I mean, the bottle’s younger while the rhum’s older, makes sense, doesn’t it. To be honest the few Trois Rivières I could try until today have never quite been utter heavyweights. Colour: amber. Nose: it’s the straightest of them all (we’re not talking about the mock Alsatian) and the cleanest as well. And possibly the least interesting. A little chicken bouillon on dried bananas, honey, light liquorice and bread-crumb, plus roasted peanuts and warm oak. Very nice, just a little too shy. Mouth: nah, it’s not that shy, but it’s the roundest and sweetest of them all. Liquorice allsorts, orange liqueur, maple syrup, a little toffee, perhaps hints of pipe tobacco… All that is very fine, but this baby’s a little… unnoticeable, perhaps. The sweet arrival (liquorice allsorts, jelly babies) is a little odd in this agricole-y context. Finish: medium, sweet, easy. Sugar cane syrup. Comments: it is, no doubt, excellent rum, it’s just lacking… memorableness, perhaps. The wow factor’s missing. SGP:651 - 82 points.

I know I wrote we’d stop here, but the problem is that we have another, much older Martiniquan and this is a good opportunity…

La Martiniquaise 'Rhum Pur' (40%, OB, Martinique, +/- 1940)

Pre-WWII colonial rum bottled in metropolitan France around, or just before the war. Today, La Martiniquaise became a large French drinks company, just behind Pernod-Ricard, and own Glen Moray Distillery in Scotland since 2008. They’re one of the very few companies that seem to have resisted the urge to try to premiumise just any brand of booze and, hence, seem to be extremely successful. Colour: amber. Nose: almost as fresh as if it was distilled three years ago. It’s pretty cane-y, quite earthy, and has got rather a lot of honey and maple syrup, then tobacco leaves and a touch of bacon. Maybe hints of plasticine. What’s sure is that there’s very little OBE, and that I would not call this ‘ a complex old brown spirit’, despite the wee touches of chives and garlic that come through after a few minutes. Mouth: once again, this is fresh and pretty clean. Someone may have added molasses and/or cane syrup at some point, though. Rather lovely spicy touches, around caraway and soft ginger. In truth, this is almost liquid gingerbread. I find little agricole-ness, but indeed there’s also a little brine and olives that make it onto your tongue after a fifteen seconds. That’s nice, obviously. Finish: rather long, with more raisins and touches of smoke and tar. That’s nice as well. Comments: frankly, this old baby was unexpectedly good. I had feared it would be very cheap booze for low rank soldiers; well it’s rather stuff for lieutenants and captains. SGP:641 - 84 points.

(and grazzie mille, Francesco and Cyril)

Check the index of all rums I've tasted so far

Malternatives on Sunday, today Rhum from Martinique