Rhum Barbancourt 5 Star 8 Year

Years ago, this was the first sipping rum I ever tried courtesy of a friend (and seminary roommate). His sister was involved with a healthcare initiative in Haiti; they were literally selling bottles of this on the tarmac in Port-au-Prince to passengers boarding departing flights...so she picked up a bottle for everyone in the family, and her brother was generous enough to share. That was almost a decade ago, though, and back in the days when standard bottling Maker's Mark was "the good stuff" for me...so how does it stack up now? Pretty good, as it turns out. This is a slightly more lean and austere style of rum - if you're a wine drinker, this is a Chablis (a real one from France), not an oaky California chardonnay. The nose features sea salt, gasoline (in a good kind of way), and wet slate, plus grassy sugar cane (like a rhum agricole), caramel, and barrel char. The palate is medium bodied, with an initial attack of sugar cane (again, like rhum agricole), green grassiness, with a hint of grilled pineapple; the mineral notes roll in toward the finish with just a little bit of alcohol warmth. For a $30-ish bottle of rum, there's a lot to enjoy here, and it's memorably unique. This wouldn't be a bad entry point into rum for a whiskey drinker looking to branch out, especially for a fan of maritime-influenced single malts.

Middle-of-the-road golden hue, with a touch of a deeper, rich orange. Thin body with nondescript, slow to form legs. A simple butter, vanilla, and pepper nose. Appealing, but not special, and handicapped by the ethanol in longer nosings. Builds gradually and will eventually singe the nostrils. Creamy with a gentle sweetness. Cooked carrots supply a coppery vegetal note. Caramel and vanilla take center stage, as one would expect given the significant duration of residence in a Caribbean cask, but ultimately it can't escape the brassy Agricole influence. Oaky astringency appears after every sip. Fresh jalapeno spice lingers throughout the finish - assertively capsaicin rather than piperine. Draws saliva, increasing the apparent body and creaminess. Approachable and acceptable, especially for the price. A bit simple for (the equivalent of) an Agricole Vieux, but you can do far worse for your money. I will keep a bottle on the shelf for a pour or cocktail that needs a creamy, long-aged oak body, without losing the punch of a fresh cane distillate. I'd likely lean towards Martinique producers for a more complex (and expensive) aged sipper, however.

Nose: Some lovely gentle oak to start with and as the Distiller summary note says, "woody" is the key here. Some caramel and if it was a whisky I'd even say vegetal or mineral notes - it's not unlike a whisky "maritime" style nose. Palate: Sweet and punchy, with a warm arrival that turns spicy with ginger and hot cinnamon and lingers right through into the finish. Some typical agricole grassy notes appear in the development. There's a little bit of orange oil or bitter marmalade and sour nuttiness (Brazil nut? walnuts?) and complex herbal sugars along with an ashy component. Finish: Medium/short. The sweetness of the palate fades into a dry and spicy finish with some tannin and lingering bitter chocolate. A good sipping rum, not the deepest experience but more than just a mixing spirit - it's certainly a rum that could change your mind if you're not typically a fan of rhums agricole. Very enjoyable but lacking the complexity that would earn it 4 stars. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)

*I must state that I've never had a rhum agricole from Martinique, so I cannot compare tastings between the two countries.* I poured a few ounces into a glencairn and let it breath for a few minutes. On the nose, I get some light sugary vanilla notes. There's a bit of ripe banana and citrus in there too. I, also, smell that grassy note many others have found. Its not off-putting. It reminds me a bit of some 100% rye whiskeys I've tried. The taste has that initial grassy note too. Its followed by some sugary sweetness and a tinge of salt. There's a hint of dried tropical fruits, and then it fades into oak and spice. The finish is long, dry, and leaves a tingling, peppery feel. This rhum is very interesting and a departure from your molasses-based rums. There's complexity here, but its subtle. I heard there's a tiny bit of added sugar in this juice, but its not overly sweet. I really enjoy this.

A light chestnut oloroso color. Somewhat off-putting initially -- loud aromas of artificial vanilla and gros michel banana flavoring accompanied by somewhat aggressive alcohol given its modest 43% ABV. However, I'm definitely reminded of elements of the Jack Daniels portfolio, making this a good rum option for some American whiskey fans. With a bit of time, this sturdy spirit reveals some pleasant macadamia, pecan, cacao, caramel, maple syrup, and sea salt aromas. On the palate it becomes chewy and dense with both sweet and dry notes of malt and palm syrup. It is very close to a liquid Tootsie Roll: cocoa and sweet syrups mixed with waxy emulsifiers and artificial flavorings. It definitely grew on me over time, and I might grab another bottle when it runs out. But, it's far from something to seek out.

I got this as an introduction to the Agricole style—reading it was somewhere between the sugar cane spirit and the typical molasses-based rum. I was initially perplexed by the nose—had a harsh acetone vibe that dominated much of the more familiar aged rum notes. Not expecting much, I was pleasantly surprised by the caramel, fruit, and grassy nuances at the top and its smooth, almost soft development as a sipper. But where it really shines is in a Mai-Tai, split with either Smith & Cross or a Demerara rum. Still haven’t tried a true Agricole, but I’m liking where this is heading...