The volcanic soil creates a unique climate, and Rhum J.M grows all of its own sugar cane on the Habitation Bellevue estate, which is right above the distillery. The sugar cane yield at Bellevue is much higher than at lower elevations, although the sugar content is lower, so more of it has to be crushed to make the rhum - swings and roundabouts. This unique microclimate and volcanic soil creates an exclusive sugar cane crop. A happy event to celebrate? Let our team of experts guide you as you search for the perfect bottles to make your celebration unforgettable. More info Following fermentation, the sugarcane wine is distilled, typically in a column still, a method preferred for its ability to produce a clear, high-proof spirit while preserving the aromatic subtleties derived from the sugarcane. The result is a potent distillate that is then either bottled as a white Rhum Agricole or aged in oak barrels to produce vieux (old) Rhum Agricole. A team of eight global rum experts gathered in Christopher Davis’ renowned Rhum Room in St Barth to judge a final field of 60 rums across eight categories in a blind tasting. Price estimate statistics ---- J.M 2005 Of. Armagnac Cask n°0411305 - One of 460 - bottled 2015 ----

On the nose, the V.O is again earthy, with that same pineapple note that I also got in the Blanc, but the stand-out note for me is a savory, earthy thing that is quite reminiscent of tobacco leaves. On the palate this segues into more of a toffee/caramel candy richness, with more tobacco, and a lingering earthiness. Mildly sweet, it doesn’t necessarily feel like maturation has been rushed, but it’s certainly not the most complex of the Rhum J.M aged offerings. It will, however, stand in absolutely fine in just about any mixing application where you might want to introduce a little agricole flavor.Martinique has taken the lead in establishing stringent production standards, achieving an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation for Martinique Rhum Agricole in 1996. This AOC, much like those for French wines, specifies the types of sugarcane that can be used, the areas of production, the distillation process, and the ageing requirements, ensuring each bottle meets high quality and authenticity standards. Head to St Lucia and you’ll find Deny Duplessis, Master Blender at St Lucia Distillers, exploring the limits of blending, using the distillates coming off the distillery’s assorted column, Vendome and John Dore pot stills. While in Barbados, the Foursquare Rum Distillery, led by its driven CEO and Master Distiller Richard Seale, is blazing a trail for its own Geographical Indication (GI). Watch this space… The biggest addition to this year’s event was the Rum Festival on the Harbor, an initiative spearheaded by Erjon Lulaj. The newer label lost all that charm in my opinion. The lettering is all mechanical (even the cursive). The artwork is much plainer. And the colors have no depth at all. It is less appealing. Next year’s event has already confirmed dates of Oct. 31-Nov. 5. A bartender at Le Barthelemy pours a ti’ punch at the opening party.

Spiribam will be able to count on the excellent team culture that reigns within our company as well as our attention to quality customer service. Our company sizes are certainly quite different, but our values and our common family business culture, deeply rooted in our operating styles, are so close that our merger is perfectly natural. ”

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This year’s Caribbean Rum Awards St Barth jury included judges Alexander Britell, editor and publisher of Caribbean Journal; Guy Britton, managing editor and EVP of Caribbean Journal; Christopher Davis, global rum expert and proprietor of the Rhum Room St Barth; rum expert and international cigar sommelier Jose Antonio Hernandez-Solaun; Peter Berntsen, COO of Empire Social Lounge in Miami and founder of Miami Rum Month; Guy Ferdinand, renowned Caribbean chef and owner of Martinique’s Le Petibonum; Myssi Davis, founder of Rum Traveler; Cuban rum expert Ivan Jivkov; and editor-in-chief of Cuba Journal, Simons Chase. Smooth, elegant and harmonious on the palate. Lightly burnt caramel refined with bourbon vanilla beans, tropical fruits very lightly candied lie in a basket woven from sugar cane leaves. The call of the island becomes louder ! On the equally lush and verdant but arrestingly French territory of Martinique, Habitation Clément epitomises the character of agricole rhum, which is made using sugarcane juice. The distillery is doing some interesting experiments with cask finishes, which are more common in whisky ageing than rum ageing). They’re using the likes of Pedro Ximénez, Sauternes and even Scotch whisky. X.O” is a standard naming convention for the most prestigious, well-aged rum release in the core lineup of many Caribbean rum/rhum distilleries regardless of region, and on Martinique it implies at least 6 years in the wood. As such, Rhum J.M X.O is labeled as “aged 6 years in oak barrels in our cellars,” but is generally accepted to contain rhums far older than that as well. Notably, this one is aged exclusively in “re-charred bourbon barrels,” seeing no new oak, which makes sense given that it is given longer to mature. It’s considerably darker in the glass, at a glance. Contemporary Rhum Agricole producers are experimenting with new ageing techniques, including using different wood types for barrels or varying the ageing climate conditions to create unique expressions. However, producers also face challenges such as climate change impacting sugarcane crops, necessitating a focus on sustainable agriculture and production practices.

Rhum JM matures its spirit in charred and scraped ex-bourbon barrels, employing a solera system within each vintage to ensure that the rum maintains continuity. The distillery even chars through igniting high-proof rum! The heat of the tropics and the humidity of the island means that the rum loses more rum volume to evaporation than distilleries in colder climes, though this may also speed up maturation times. Rhum JM has also been known for its single and multi vintage releases, and finishing in Armagnac and Cognac barrels. Rhum JM follows the Cognac system of age-statements, using V.S.O.P. and X.O. on their bottles. After 2 years of various Covid travel interruptions ourfestival has taken a triumphant step forward,” said Davis, global rum expert and co-founder of the event. Taking a sip, those fruits are the first thing I get, specifically the coconut, mango, banana, and apricot. That’s followed by just a hint of pineapple as well as some good caramel and vanilla notes. It’s a sweet yet complex flavor profile that ends with a rather short finish, a bit of banana being the only note that holds on very long after the other flavors have dissipated. On IceAt its price point it is certainly good value and makes for a nice introduction to white agricole. Even at 50% once mixed it seems more easy going and is surprisingly easy to drink. Making it a little dangerous! Créoles: an amber rum rich in spices and warm notes, offering an exotic and spicy touch to your drinks. The Bellevue distillery (also incorrectly noted as Belvedere on some Indie bottlings) is located on the flanks of Mount Pelee. The producers claim the rich volcanic soil give the rhum its unique flavour profile. They are very keen on using terroir (the land on which the sugar cane grows) to identify and highlight the uniqueness of their agricole rhum.

Your Personal Taste: depending on whether you prefer the fresh and herbal flavors of white rums, the indulgent aromas of amber rums, or the intensity of aged rums, explore the range that best suits your preferences. The nose of the X.O certainly is more oak-forward than the other Rhum J.M expressions with additional caramel, brown sugar and red fruity notes that are also unique to this expression. On the palate I’m getting a lot more fruit, with big notes of ripe dessert banana, mango, peppercorns (earthy white pepper), cinnamon candy and butterscotch. There’s even a hard-to-place herbal component that is somewhere between sage and dill weed, which isn’t something I’ve gotten often in rum before, but it may be a factor of how its inherent grassiness is being modified by the time spent in the wood. There’s complexity to suss out here. If you need a place to store your wine, you're in the right place, with our all-inclusive, simple, and digitalised solution. More info Rhum Agricole is known for its full-bodied and grassy flavour profile, often described as having a herbaceous quality with notes of tropical fruit, spices, and earth. The concept of terroir is highly significant in the production of Rhum Agricole, as the environment - soil type, topography, and climate - affects the quality and taste of the sugarcane and, hence, the final spirit. Each distillery's Rhum Agricole carries the imprint of the land from which its cane was harvested.To make the right choice among the extensive selection of JM rums, several criteria should be considered: Each barrel is carefully selected to bring specific characters to our aged rum. Before being used, our barrels are first charred by igniting high-proof rum inside the barrel. After the char has been scraped, new oak tannins are exposed, which deliver the barrel’s character and the rich color we want in our aged rums. In 1914, Gustave Crassous de Médeuil bought the J.M Distillery from the family of Jean-Marie MARTIN. The Crassous de Médeuil heirs have carried on the time-honored passion and tradition of making rum J.M It wasn’t long ago that I was diving headfirst into rhum agricole for the first time, tasting a lineup of three rhums from iconic Martinique producer Rhum Clément. Not to be outdone, however, is the island’s other most famous rhum producer: Rhum J.M. If I’m going to explore the mixology potential of true agricoles with one of Martinique’s classic brands by tasting my way through the core lineup, then it makes sense I should do so again with the other major agricole brand most commonly found on U.S. shelves. And this time, I’m doing four rhums, rather than three. Im Abgang bleiben Karamell und Vanille sehr lange, Früchte und Holz bleiben auch für länger. Du musst auf die Insel !