
June 12, 2016

More rhum de France

Looking for more malternatives in the French Caribbean, that is to say for good and genuine rhum agricole. Remember that’s distilled cane juice and not molasses.

Karukera ‘Rhum Vieux Réserve Spéciale’ (42%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2015)

The simpler 'Rhum Vieux' by Karukera/Longueteau that we tried two or three weeks ago had been pretty excellent (WF 84). Colour: amber. Nose: superb! Rich, phenolic, extremely liquoricy, with bags of cane juice, some tar, even a little coal tar, then our beloved olives, and both green and black, and lastly, touches of rotting bananas. Not rotten bananas, eh! Perfect nose, this starts well, let's just hope the palate won't be a little stuffy... Mouth: perhaps it is, just a bit, there's a sweetness that's rather unusual in rhums from the French West Indies. Other than that, there's really a lot of liquorice, a touch of salt, and always our black olives. A little concentrated maple syrup, which makes it a little thick(ish) indeed. Finish: long, and oakier, a little gritty and tannic. Bitter caramel, cloves, oranges... Comments: excellent, in fact, it's just that I liked the fresher Rhum Vieux a little better. Freshness is important! SGP:751 - 82 points.

Karukera 'Millésime 1999' (45%, OB, Guadeloupe, 7000 bottles, +/-2014)

While we're having Karukera... Colour: amber. Nose: more vegetal and grassy, straighter, less luscious, perhaps a bit more oaky as well (there is some rather active American oak, somewhere)... I get whiffs of stewed artichokes, for example, or even Brussels sprouts. But other than that, it's very cane-y, which we can't dislike, can we? Also a little mint, and a large bag of coffee beans. Mouth: oily body, and a dry, mentholated arrival, with some resins and oils from the oak. Pine wood. Huge cinnamon as well as nutmeg and cloves, bitter apples, black tea, tannins, crunching coffee beans... It's really very tannic, as tannic as some 50 years old malt whisky (while knowing that not all 50 yo Scotches are tannic, of course). Finish: long, bitter, drying, and even more tannic. Almost as if we had quaffed walnut stain. Quite. Comments: a style I'm not too fond of, the oak's rather too dominant for me. But the distillate is first class, so we won't be too harsh... SGP:371 - 78 points.

We may need another go at Karukera. At this point, the cheaper, the better!

Karukera 'Millésime 1997 Brut de Fût' (46.3%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2013)

Brut de fût means cask strength, you guessed it. This baby aged in small bourbon barrels, let's hope those haven't been too active. Colour: amber. Nose: even less fragrant and fresh than the 1999, and even more on oak and coffee. A lot of chocolate as well, some cane juice - thank you, God - and some very black tobacco, maduro-style. What I do prefer is this earthiness in the background, the black tapenade, the very grassy liquorice... Let's only hope those aromas will win it on the palate! Mouth: there is some kind of balance, with a cane juice and orange combination that manages to fight the heavyish oakiness and to protect the freshness, so to speak. Tinned pineapples with some salt and mint, this must exist as a cocktail, somewhere (with rum, of course). Still a bit tiring, but it surely is way above average. Finish: long, with the same obvious tannins as in the 1999, but also more fruits (oranges and pineapples) that keep it kind of fresh. Comments: I still prefer the Reserve Spéciale and the simple Rhum Vieux, but as I said, it's high quality rhum agricole. Just the oak was too busy for me. SGP:471 - 80 points.

Damoiseau 10 yo 2001/2011 (42%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole)

Very expensive given its age (80 to 100€) which may explain why it's still available just everywhere. It's also ex-first fill bourbon, pretty bad news if you ask me, but you never know... Colour: gold. Nose: fine and light, much lighter and rounder than the Karukeras. A few tropical fruits, both fresh and tinned ones (pineapples again, bananas) and a pleasant floral side (lys?) In truth it's a nice, easy nose, certainly not dull. Little vulgar vanillin so far, good news. Mouth: indeed, it's light, and the American oak feels a bit, but on the other hand, this joyous fruitiness remains, yeah, pleasant. Liquorice allsorts, bananas, more pineapples, a slice of orange cake. A little sawdust in the background, alas. Finish: medium, a little more caramelised. Custard, fudge, orange zests. Comments: a very easy agricole. Good but not unforgettable - and why does all this American oak have to go to eleven? I had liked their 8 yo 'Cuvée du Millénaire' rather better (WF 80). SGP:631 - 77 points.

Another chance, with a heavy hitter...

Damoiseau 'Millésime 1989' (58.4%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2010)

Another one that's still easily obtainable. It's cask strength and even single cask, it seems. Colour: amber. Nose: really smooth for a Guadeloupean, and once again, it's rather only sweet oak that you get. So not much spirit character, I'm afraid. Hints of roses, perhaps? A little fudge. With water: coffee, lactones, a touch of ink, leaves, pot-pourri... Mouth (neat): powerful, perhaps a little indefinite. Sweet apple and banana compote, oranges, vanilla, ginger... With water: good, for sure, but a little in-the-middle-of-the-road. The Karukeras had much more character. Finish: medium, a little leafy. Vanilla, oranges, oak, liquorice... Comments: not sure there's much to be said. Damoiseau are a big player, they're not quite into craft, boutique rum, it seems. In that sense, they're more blendernatives than malternatives, if I may. Just a personal opinion! SGP:541 - 78 points.

We've got other Damoiseaus (Damoiseaux?) but let's rather have a Séverin, since this has become a Guadeloupean session... And since their XO won our latest all-Guadeloupe session (WF 88, no less)...

Domaine de Séverin 2005/2013 'Finition Bordeaux' (42%, OB, Guadeloupe, agricole)

Red Bordeaux and rhum? Ouch, let's hope that'll have worked better than with malt whisky. Lousy 'innovation' if you ask me... Colour: dark gold. Nose: oh no, that worked! My bad! Anis bredala (aniseed biscuits), vanilla ice cream, banana milkshake, cassis jam, cane juice, salted liquorice, caraway, aquavit, garden peat (no smoke), compost, rich black loam... How 'world' is this? Mouth: a little more unlikely, but the heavy liquorice saves it. Liquorice would save any spirit, if you ask me, they should use that to colour spirits, instead of caramel (yeah, should that be allowed). Blackberry jam, cinnamon cake, more liquorice... Liquorice from Bordeaux? Do they make liquorice in Bordeaux? Finish: medium, more candied and jammy. Cassis syrup, liquid liquorice, banana cream, and salt. Quite some cocktail, isn't it. Ideas of pencil shavings in the aftertaste, that was superfluous. Comments: I quite hate it that I rather liked it, as some well-educated pre-Brexit English would say. Anyway, great work again by Séverin. Unlikely, but great. SGP:651 - 85 points.

C'est tout pour aujourd'hui !

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