The big annual spirits event always brings its share of new products, and the distilleries try to keep their secrets until this day to surprise us. We went to the city of fashion and design with the idea of discovering only a small handful of new bottlings, and as usual nothing went as planned…
After a quick overview of what awaits us, it seems that the average alcohol level is quite high. A small Uitvlugt 97 of Wild Parrot at 48.9% seems quite appropriate to start the day. This very limited bottling is already sold out, so it is probably the only chance we will have to taste this Demerara rum distilled in 1997 and bottled in 2018.
On the nose, we immediately find ourselves lost in the jungle of Guyana's rums. While we expect a relatively light rum, distilled on the Savalle column of Uitvlugt, we are frankly on a Port Mourant type profile. The explanation is simple, the still of the same name was on the Uitvlugt site in 1997, hence the confusion between still and place of distillation. Here is a typical rum, on exotic fruits and almond, with a coppery touch. This is a very pleasant and complex Port Mourant, with however an air of déjà vu.
While we will discover later, and for the first time at Whisky Live, a Rum Gallery entirely dedicated to our favorite spirit, alcohols from all over the world rub shoulders in the VIP area.
A gallery of portraits of Palenqueros then catches our attention. The Palenqueros in question are mezcal distillers from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico , with whom the Italian company Velier has chosen to work.
The smoky character of the mezcals may torment the palate at the start of the show, but the temptation is too strong.
We discover the Mezcal de Valente Garcia , a blend of three varieties of agave (espadin, mexicano, bicuishe). It presents notes of cereals and toasted brioche, in a very sweet and gourmet spirit.
Baltazar Cruz 's was made from the unique Tobala variety. With a smoky appearance, it starts with notes of grilled meat and shows a more acidic and drier aspect.
Rey Arellanes mezcal is a distillation of the Tobaziche variety. After initial notes of hay, it is very balanced and somewhat synthesizes the two previous ones, with a touch of iodine and a sensation of smoky whisky in the mouth, then a finish on pepper. Note that unlike the others, it comes from a clay still (the others come from copper stills).
Juan Hernandez 's mezcal is made from two varieties of agave: Tobaziche and Tobala. It has more fermentation notes, with olive and strained fruit.
Alberto Ortiz 's is stronger. It comes from the Madrecuishe variety and initially has notes of vanilla candy. But it quickly becomes very strongly farmhouse, with a real impression of a stable. Its mouth is intense and peppery, a beautiful experience.
We arrive just in time to witness the killing of Caroni 's bottles from the new " Employees " series. As with the mezcals, this is a gallery of portraits of the employees of the legendary Trinidad distillery, now closed.
So here is a 20 year old Caroni 98 , in honor of Dennis “X” Gopaul who worked at the distillery between 1988 and 2003, the year it closed. It is a blend of 5 casks that aged for 20 years in a tropical climate.
Its nose is quite dry, toasted and powerful, but quickly opens up into something gourmand, thick and deep. In bulk, notes of copper, almond and red fruits, then a long and pastry finish.
The bottle dedicated to John “D” Eversley is a 1996 Caroni , a 22-year -old rum. It seems lighter than the previous one, with aromas of pear and oxidized and rustic fruit salad. It is a Caroni that would lean towards a Port Mourant with more toasted wood. The mouth is rather calm and balanced.
We continue the discovery of the most anticipated and coveted rums, with the first Long Pond bottled by Velier . These two Jamaican monsters are in the range of “continental flavored ”, i.e. the rums with the most aromas, initially intended to strengthen blends.
The Long Pond 2007 is an 11-year-old rum that bears the TECC mark, the setting that produces the distillery's most loaded rums. It is a typically “ high ester ” rum, less wild than a Hampden , with a more velvety profile. The gourmandise is in order, with pastry notes, stone, juices of very ripe fruits and a side of brioche or very soft sandwich bread. The mouth is powerful and carries coppery and smoky notes.
The 2003 Long Pond carries the TECA mark, a setting that was a priori lighter than the previous one at the time of distillation. But its more advanced age ( 15 years ) has allowed it to develop an even heavier profile during its aging. The nose is more piquant than on the 2007, with a sort of metallic freshness, aromas of welding and sulfur. The palate is explosive and heavy. The metal is still present and is surrounded by tannins of black fruits like blueberry and blackberry.
We leave the VIP area to discover the Rhum Gallery . Big names from Martinique welcome us as soon as we enter, and we rub our hands at the thought of discovering the new products from Neisson and Bally .
To recover from our Jamaican trip, nothing better than the purity of a white agricultural rum from Neisson . The 52.5% Organic had impressed us with its breadth and generosity, and here is another 52.5% from a plot in organic conversion , that is to say already free of any chemical treatment but awaiting final certification. The expected effect is there, here is a very beautiful white rum that shines with its clarity and balance, with its tasty and chiseled pepper.
The Élevés sous bois range is enriched with two references this year:
The famous Profil 105 is awarded an Organic mention, resulting in a balanced rum, with a slightly toasted and vanilla woodiness. The attack on the palate is beautiful, lively and full, the rum is simply well made, clear and intense.
This year, the Neisson distillery is showcasing a new heating profile for its barrels: profile 107. The maturity of these young rums aged in barrels is still as impressive. The profile is spicy, with already very fatty nuts that coat a still fresh agricultural rum. A short break lets notes of honey settle in, which are then found in a sunny and brilliant mouth.
Behind the Saint James and Bally stand is the president of the AOC Martinique, Mr Marc Sassier. He is presenting his latest Bally brut de fût , a 2000 vintage selected for LMDW. The absence of topping up (upgrading the level of rum in the barrel to counter the angels' share) has produced very concentrated vintages so far, let's see what this one has in store for us: the nose opens with a rustic apple compote and dried fruits that are still quite fresh, amidst melted tannins. The concentration becomes more and more noticeable over time and a little varnish completes the picture. The palate offers the same oxidized apple, in a salad or even a rustic fruit compote. The finish is medium-long. The profile of this 2000 vintage is different from the two previous ones , which leave less room for fruits and offer a more woody and candied register.
Guadeloupe is increasingly proudly represented by Longueteau, this family distillery that presents an amber version of its brut de colonne called Genesis. Its intense nose of fresh cane is made much softer here. It even seeks very sweet notes of vanilla and strawberry candy. The palate is powerful and ample, the spices take control until a very peppery finish, on bagasse.
We leave the agricultural and the French Antilles and find ourselves with one foot in Jamaica and the other in Cognac, with the always very well-stocked Plantation stand. The two new “ Extrêmes ” bottlings have been the talk of the town for a while and we spot them behind the long row of new vintages.
We decide to calibrate our palate with a 2005 vintage from Jamaica , a blend of 12-year-old rums from the Clarendon and Long Pond distilleries, married for a year in ex-Cognac casks at the parent company of Plantation, in Charente. The delicacy is there, as well as the famous Jamaican “funk”. Here is a very exotic fruit salad that sums up the style of this island while allowing a gentle approach.
Moving on to the Extreme series, these cask strengths without any added sugar (unlike the usual Plantation range) are released in a very limited edition and are aimed at the most demanding palates.
The first one bears the ITP brand of the Long Pond distillery in Jamaica. It is a 1996 vintage with 22 years of aging. Rather light at the time of its distillation, it has greatly benefited from its rest in barrels to develop its aromatic palette. Its nose is delicate and rather elegant, with a tropical fruit salad and a golden pineapple. Its mouth is powerful but thick and gourmet, always on exotic fruits, with a radically coppery note.
The second rum in this series number 3 of the Extremes is a 22-year-old HJC 1996 , which is also at the upper end of what Long Pond can produce in terms of aromatic heaviness. It seems more pastry-like, more full-bodied, and its powerful mouthfeel with notes of almond and coppery exotic fruits leans towards whisky or even Port Mourant rums from Guyana.
This Extreme series is therefore aimed at a wider audience from the point of view of taste accessibility, but it will also be able to seduce experts with its nuanced expression of Jamaica.
Let's take advantage of our visit to our friends at Fair to try a new category once again: Gin . This Old Tom is a little sweet and has been aged in rum barrels . Its gourmet nose is full of Sichuan pepper and its mouth is spicy but very sweet. Here is a very pleasant spirit that we can imagine accompanying dishes such as shrimp with garlic and lemongrass on the plancha. It is a very pleasant product that is necessarily suitable for mixology , but also for tasting , with very tasty orange peels in the finish.
As a die-hard fan of Jamaica’s Worthy Park Distillery, I couldn’t miss the arrival of three new finishes within their range of official bottlings. While the Oloroso and Marsala finishes led the way last year, here are their latest achievements in ex- Port , Sherry (Oloroso and PX) and Madeira casks .
The Porto finish is a 9 year old rum that has been aged entirely in Jamaica before being transported to Denmark to benefit from its finishing for 1 year. The banana touch of Worthy Park is intact, it is just placed on a little astringency of red fruit tannins.
The Sherry finish was made on a base of rum aged 4 years in ex-Bourbon casks. After spending 18 months in ex-Sherry casks, it adds chocolatey notes to its palette, always in a brioche and soft spirit.
The Madeira finish (designed in the same way as Sherry) probably gives the most surprising result, since it has the air of agricultural rum, with sweet notes of cane. Astringent on the attack in the mouth, it then melts into banana tinged with cane juice.
The distillery also presents a 12-year- old prototype, one of the oldest Worthy Parks you can find. Concentrated and full-bodied, it unfolds its spicy banana brioche notes in full breadth and complexity. This is a future release to watch!
Right next to Worthy Park (and Hampden which had a very nice stand for the release of its range of official bottlings), we find Velier and its Clairins, its Caroni Replica, but also some Long Pond as well as new Habitation Velier products.
In the same series as the Long Pond 2003 and 2007 tasted in the VIP area, we could find a 13-year- old Cambridge 2005. This is the style of an old distillery, now defunct, recreated at Long Pond. It is a heavy rum that reveals a solvent / glue side in the manner of New Yarmouth rums, but with more balance. Very Jamaican, it deploys its great bouquet of very ripe exotic fruits, close to fermentation, with deep notes of olive and a metallic touch.
The white rums in the Habitation Velier range have undergone a makeover to better adapt to bartenders . The new products of the season are therefore presented in round bottles:
Hampden's LROK seduces us from the outset: it is a complete, creamy rum, with a certain gourmandise of dried fruits, olive and leather. It is everything we love about this distillery, and it is arranged to perfection, with a fatty and silky touch.
Long Pond's STCE is a heavier rum that requires more aeration time, but its creaminess lined with cherry and pear is a much-appreciated reward.
Habitation Velier brings together a collection of rums distilled in Pot Still , which are often the preserve of the islands of English tradition. However, it is a rum from Reunion that is making its debut this year, a rum well known to lovers of extreme distillates: HERR . This High Ester Rum Reunion offers delirious aromas of blackberry, blueberry, strawberry sorbet. It is very full in the mouth and does not burn despite its 62.5%. We find the Grand Arôme touch of Savanna in the finish, what a journey!
The New Grove distillery in Mauritius has revised the look of its range. The image of the berry gives way to a traveler's tree and a modern style. The Single Barrel series is now called " Savoir faire ". The latest single cask is a 2009 vintage with an alcohol content of 60%. Its aging in Limousin oak barrels has given it a very balanced profile, highlighted by a smoky fruit paste. The brand's unique identity resurfaces more frankly on the palate, with roasted nuts, coffee, liquorice and quince paste.
How can we miss the Foursquare distillery of Barbados , which this time presents a much more widely distributed version of its Destino , released in preview and in very small quantities last year, for the 70th anniversary of Velier . The Foursquare style here is focused on nuts, and in particular peanuts. The palate is also concentrated, fatty and sticky, the distillery seems to gain in aromatic power and intensity with its latest bottlings, this Destino showing the same qualities as the 2005 vintage.
What better way to end this day than the Reunion distillery that offers some of the most exotic and aromatic rums, namely Savanna and its Lontan . She is spoiling us this fall with a collection of 4 great aromas with magnificent labels.
But let's start gently with the new 10-year-old “Maison Blanche” vintage from 2006 , an example of the house's expertise in the field of traditional molasses rums. It is a resolutely English style that is represented here, framed by a concentrated resin and very mellow on the palate, with a hint of fresh cane. While previous editions leaned towards whisky , this latest one is an archetype of gourmet rum, balanced and concentrated.
Finally, let's start the Lontan series with a 14-year-old rum, a blend of distillates aged in ex-Port and ex-Cognac casks , bottled at 57%. The nose is ample, open, with typical Lontan aromas (olive, raisins, very ripe fruit) caressed by floral notes of violet. It is very oily on the palate, extremely gourmet and balanced by a woody taste soaked in fruit. Superb.
The 10-year-old brut de fût aged in a humid cellar follows the 8-year-old which had met with great success, so it is the subject of some anticipation. With a rather sweet character on the nose, it is acidic and fruity on the palate, with markers of Lontan which develop constantly until a finish marked by raisins and a small metallic hint.
The 14-year-old Single Cask brut de fût selected by LMDW is focused on lighter notes and seems to draw its originality from ashy notes and a vaporous touch.
The latest Single Cask is a 10 year old Lontan matured in HERR casks . Rather than bringing an extra notch of aromatic power, this maturation brings balance, breadth and mellowness, it is a very nice success.
It’s time to head for the exit, because even after a snack or two at the adjoining cocktail street , we are drunk on the crowd and the noise (and yes, a little rum too…). It’s always a pleasure to meet up with the great rum family, with its amateur and professional enthusiasts, and we look forward to comparing our impressions and notes in the days to come.
Post Scriptum: It is precisely a passionate friend named Damien who will give us the final blow on the way back, by finding us a curiosity straight out of the masterclass of Alexandre Gabriel , the boss of Plantation . This is the first distillation after restoration of a Vulcain still (chamber still - with vertical retort) on the West Indies site Rum Distillery in Barbados. Originally designed for the distillation of Rye (rye whiskey), it was used to distill one of the rums that went into the Navy blend. Its nose offers an original style, truffled and earthy, and its mouth is powerful but above all both pastry and vegetal, very interesting.