The Saint-Etienne residence
It was born at the beginning of the 19th century in Gros Morne, Martinique . After some turbulence, the distillery stopped smoking in 1988. Then after being bought by the Hayot family in 1994, its production was transferred to the Simon distillery, in François (which also distils for Clément rums).
Between 2008 and 2009, Saint-Etienne rums gradually adopted the new, more modern identity of HSE.
Today, HSE produces 1,200,000 liters of rum per year and has approximately 6,000 barrels aging.
While Clément was the first house to offer vintage white rums with its blue cane in 2001, HSE had also started this process: the first HSE vintage whites distilled in 2000 were bottled in 2005. In the meantime, they were brewed and reduced for more than 4 years to become real tasting white rums.
In 2009, the first Finitions du monde appeared. The first two editions benefited from a refinement in Sherry or peated Whisky casks. Then the range began to expand with new finishes in Whisky and Sherry casks, followed shortly after by refinements in Sauternes or Port casks and most recently in Bordeaux wine casks.
The Black Sheriff
It made its debut in 2014. It is a selection of rums aged three to four years, mostly aged in American bourbon barrels, chosen from the states of Kentucky & Missouri.
Its profile is very marked on the bourbon and its gourmet side would recall a well-known brand of Tennessee Whiskey. Its unconventional profile due to the aromatic contribution of the types of barrels used makes it unique with regard to the extremely strict specifications of the AOC Martinique appellation. It will then be classified in the generic category "Rum from the French Antilles". As it had already done in the past with certain finishes from around the world, the HSE house then leaves with a certain audacity the famous AOC for this product. It was necessary to do without this recognized and very marked certification (but essential guarantor of traditional know-how) to be able to offer the rum as it had been designed.
The goal of Black Sheriff is to offer a rum intended for cocktails, but also for "relaxing" tasting. In my opinion, this rum has the advantages of being a really nice old agricultural rum, cheap and widely distributed.
Our tasting note of the Black Sheriff
I suggest you taste this Black Sheriff with me.
HSE rums mostly have a fairly present white woodiness on the nose. This usually melted raw woodiness is much more straightforward here, it almost draws on toasted nuts. We do not forget that this is an agricultural rum, the cane is also very present. The nose opens with ripe exotic fruits and spices. The toasted woodiness is always at the center, it diffuses its warm waves of vanilla, honey and beeswax.
This nose becomes really nice when it is a little airy, it is then quite lively, fresh, a little minty. It is also fruitier, or at least the fruitiness is more integrated. The rum is less tannic, the cane is now as if candied. With rest, the spicy liquorice and dried fruits bring depth. Let's not forget the gray pepper which energizes the whole with a dry and powdery side.
On the palate, the rum is very supple at first, with well-rounded sugarcane. The woodiness lives up to its promise, smoky and toasty, dominating the tasting. It is supported by a very stimulating and tasty pepper. The rum, which has never lost its suppleness, now melts into caramel notes.
Vanilla and dried fruits linger on the palate, obviously the woodiness is in the spectrum all the way.
Here is an honest and friendly rum, with an irreproachable quality/price ratio. Neither very complex nor very concentrated, it is normally dedicated to cocktails due to its woody and caramelized bourbon profile. It is nonetheless a real rum and will not have to blush when tasting. We can say that it is a beautiful tropical (and authentic) alternative to well-known whiskeys.
HSE Sour
Since we're talking about cocktails, here's one that I particularly like and for which I'd like to give you the recipe: HSE SOUR
This cocktail, which belongs to the Sour category, has a velvety and delicious texture.
Ingredients
– 5 cl of Black Sheriff Rum
– 2 cl of flambéed banana syrup
– 2 cl of lime
– 1 egg white
– 2 dashes of Angostura bitter
Pour all the ingredients into the shaker. Shake without ice cubes to emulsify the egg white. Add the ice cubes and shake. Filter using a fine strainer. Enjoy!
Nico
PS: of course, you can order HSE rums, including Black Sheriff, on our website.