This "Very Special Old Pale" rum from Bologne is distilled in copper column stills, then aged in French oak barrels. Bologne VSOP is a blend of rums aged 4, 5, 6, 8 and over 8 years.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose of this rhum agricole is subtle: it begins with the fruity beans of very dark cocoa combined with a lovely woodiness. Again with subtlety, the thickness of the honey gives way to a wave of rejuvenating cane juice. It's then with astonishment and emotion that we catch a glimpse of a small olive, the sign of a prolonged and profitable fermentation that has also allowed banana and pineapple aromas to blossom. The range of this rum's charms continues to unfold on toasty notes: walnuts at first, then smoked meats and even grilled meats. Rest allows the walnut and oxidation (rancio) to settle on the surface of the liquid.
The glass is shaken to break this oxidized film, and the honeyed cane returns with other fresh herbs. The woodiness is moist, retaining a vegetal touch that is now gourmandized like a candied herb (yes, there is such a thing, try Charente angelica...). The confit remains with raisins, then the olive/banana side returns with a little time.
The palate is sweet but spicy on the tongue, even spicy. The best of the agricole is here: savory, peppery cane, sublimated by enveloping vanilla. The rum withdraws in a drier fashion with a few cashew nuts and hazelnuts in battery syrup.
Nutmeg, ginger and pepper remain on the taste buds. Wood and tobacco join them as if in the heart of a cigar box.
"Rich, subtle, fair, complex, gourmand, need I say more...?"
