The Confrérie du Rhum is a Facebook group created in 2013, which brings together seasoned or novice amateurs, rum or bar professionals and enthusiasts from all walks of life. This group is the place for all discoveries and all debates, and was at the origin of the creation of most of the regional Rhum Clubs which flourish even outside France.
In 2014, the group's directors launched a first rum bottling experiment with a first cuvée from the Brotherhood dedicated to Barbados. Initially confidential, these bottlings quickly achieved a certain success. Since then, the experiments have multiplied and each cuvée is awaited, particularly for the quality and singularity of the selections.
Here are the vintages that have been produced to date:
– Barbados 2000 – WIRD 13 years
– Guadeloupe 1998 – Bellevue 16 years old
– Guadeloupe – 100% Blue Cane white rum – Longueteau
– Martinique – Old cane flower – Saint James
– Martinique – La Favorite 20 years
– Martinique – HSE Brut de Fût 8 years
We asked a few questions to Benoît Bail , one of the founders of the Confrérie du Rhum, to talk about the past and future of the group, as well as the vintage released on March 23, 2017 in partnership with Maison La Mauny:
What a journey the CDR has come, I find it hard to believe that it only dates back to 2013! Can you tell us about the beginnings?
Benoît Let's say that it all happened a bit by chance! At the beginning, I was just a rum lover who was gradually discovering this spirit... Unfortunately, being from Luxembourg, I didn't have much choice there at the time and the people around me who were also interested in it were few and far between. So, I started looking for rum lovers online, especially on Facebook. So, I first came across the Ministry of Rum, a group created by Edward Hamilton and which at the time already had a few thousand members, however, I quickly understood that French speakers remained discreet in this group because of the language barrier. So I had the idea of creating a French-speaking version (which led to my exclusion at first), and that's how the "Ministry of Rum" was born, which later became the Brotherhood of Rum .
At the beginning we were only a few dozen amateurs, then over time, through trade fairs and meetings, we gained notoriety in spite of ourselves and became the group that we all know today.
When did you notice the explosion in membership?
I think there was a real explosion once the first 1000 members were reached. Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what caused this. Is it really the notoriety of the group? The notoriety of the product? Or is it the Facebook algorithm that once a certain number is reached, suggests the group to more people? We don't have the exact answer...
Do you know if the producers monitor the group closely to get feedback on their products?
I know that since the beginning of the group, a number of producers have been monitoring the group and what is happening there. At first, they were even more active, but the lack of time on their side to respond to all the requests, comments etc. has meant that today they are less active, but we still know that they are watching what is happening there. It is a good tool for them to get feedback from the public on their products, but also to detect market trends.
How do you see the future of the CDR? Do you have other projects for the community?
It's hard to say. At no point since its creation had we hoped for all this and today we take things as they come, without really having a plan for the future. Of course, we had to go through unavoidable steps, such as recruiting new moderators, setting up rules, monitoring posts and sometimes even sanctions against certain people.
As for projects, we have some, mainly about the vintages for the group, but also competitions and others. However, I think it is better to leave each thing to its own time and reveal the concrete things once they are in place.
The CDR has special relationships with agricultural rum producers. Could special bottlings of rums from other origins see the light of day? I imagine that the first vintage came from Scheer (the European wholesaler) but rums or rones from independent bottlers aged entirely on site are rare, that would be interesting.
So, indeed, the first two vintages were more tests that we set up with our own small means, following a general demand going in this direction. However, we did not want to take any risks. We were victims of our success following this… And it is thanks to this and thanks to the fact that we were a French-speaking group that the producers of agricultural rums contacted us to propose collaborations. Other types of rums have of course also made proposals, but it was complicated for us to find something interesting, going in the direction of the general demand, because let's be realistic, a vintage that does not work is good for no one, for us, our members or even for the producer… So until now we have always favored agricultural rums, however, we are also working on other ideas that should see the light of day in the years to come and obviously remain open to other types of products.
When did the project, the selection of this rum, begin? Can you tell us a little about its history?
Concerning the vintage in collaboration with Maison La Mauny , it's a bit special. Jerry Gitany and I have always had the support of the BBS team and their president Nathalie Guillier-Tual from the beginning, to whom we also owe the realization of the first Agricole Tour, two years ago (even if at the time it was not yet called that). There is also their wish to want to promote Maison La Mauny more, while Trois Rivières is exploding internationally.
So it was quite natural that the idea of creating a vintage with their teams came about. So we decided together to follow this idea. To say when this project dates back, I can't say, I don't really remember, but it must have been a year or two.
Which column does this rum come from?
The distillation of this rum was done on copper Creole columns and was assembled with a batch of a stainless steel column. The cane itself was entirely cut manually.
Has this rum benefited from any special treatment compared to the rest of the La Mauny range?
I wouldn't call its treatment special, no. It was treated in the same way as all the house's vintages, with the aim of giving it the Maison La Mauny identity.
I saw that the aging was done in French oak barrels, are these new barrels or Cognac barrels?
This aging was done exclusively in new barrels.
How does it work? Do we rinse them several times before using them?
No, not this time. This batch was put into the keg directly, without rinsing.
What is the strength of rum before barreling?
The barrelling was done at 65%, but was reduced twice over the entire aging period.
Did you “monitor” and taste this rum regularly during its aging?
We ourselves obviously did not do this, since the Brotherhood did not yet exist in 2005. However, this vintage was monitored and tasted by the cellar master, Daniel Baudin , as well as by Christian Vergier who works a lot with BBS.
Did you plan for the end of aging or did you decide to move on to bottling by tasting it?
In fact, when the idea came to create a vintage together, Daniel and Christian went to the cellars to see what they had that was interesting to offer us. Several samples were sent to us for the occasion and after several tastings over several months, this is the vintage that we chose.
My tasting note (Nico)
Here is a tasting note of this 2005 La Mauny cuvée limited to 1000 bottles, which spent 11 years in barrels. It is a cask strength with an alcohol content of 49.7%.
The nose of this rum is initially very dry and woody, a bit dusty but also a little waxy. It seems that our friends from the Brotherhood like woody notes if we are to believe this selection, as well as the previous one which was dedicated to HSE. This is good, the distilleries of Martinique are masters in this field. This nose is also a little vegetal, with some sharp notes of geranium.
After a few seconds, it softens and opens up with slightly candied fruits (prune) but which retain a certain freshness. The rum is still strong, powerful, powdery and spicy, on the cigar box.
The fruitiness still gains momentum with red and black fruits like morello cherry and blackberry.
Fresh leather takes over the power, just tanned, a little liquorice. Then the rum makes the powder speak again: roasted chocolate and coffee, grilled coconut.
It's that we almost end up forgetting our sugar cane! It comes back through the plant door, with its bagasse and its straw.
With more aeration, the floral side of the first moments is rounded, we are on fragrant notes of jasmine or other white flowers. Some dried fruits revolve around a small stone.
The rum does not lose its character, the woodiness is toasted, always a little waxy. The cane has thickened, it is accompanied by its trusty lime zest.
The attack on the palate is supple, then it quickly becomes spicy and slightly acidic. The raw heart of our brut de fût resumes its march, a very dry phase follows. The woodiness is then more raw, younger, a little metallic side brings precision. As on the nose, a broader sensation of exotic fruits (pineapple) warms and coats, then the roasted and toasted flavors come to tighten all this. We note a little menthol at the end of the mouth.
The finish is quite long, we find a more natural cane, peppery, with lime zest. The dried fruits (raisins) persist on the palate, with a small stone.
This full-bodied rum is a departure from the classic La Mauny range and a beautiful addition to it. If you take your time to enjoy it, your patience will be rewarded with a lovely complexity and a balance between power and richness.
Nico from the Rhum Attitude team