Clément 2002 42° vintage

This agricultural rum was distilled in 2002 from pure cane juice from the estate's harvests, and aged in oak barrels in the Clément cellars. It was bottled in 2017.

Nico's tasting notes

In brief: woody - spicy - sweet - fruity - cane

On the nose, the woodiness is very pleasant. It's mainly spicy, quite sweet, and opens up to dried fruit. The rum seems rather fine and straightforward, the pepper maintaining a precision that evokes elegance rather than amplitude. The pepper is fragrant and comes from various lands, as do the wood essences and tobacco varieties that follow. The nose gains in brilliance with a candied vegetal edge.
On aeration, the vegetal and spicy notes play off each other in a well-controlled expressiveness. The wood is sometimes peppery, sometimes green or candied. In any case, it's very exotic and resinous. With time, nuts and cocoa bring balance, reminiscent of dried fruit, always in the hollow of a resinous woodiness.

The palate is very soft and balanced, politely and progressively introducing notes of coffee and nuts in balance with the wood. The mid-palate sees a heavier whiff of fermentation aromas and ripe, slightly acidic exotic fruit. This fruity wave is pervasive and exciting, so much so that the rum continues to indulge, with plenty of cane and a few hints of bitter lime zest.

The finish will retain the spices, especially pepper, and the generosity of a fairly dark honey.

"A lovely rhum agricole, with a controlled nose that dissects the spirit of pure-juice aged rums, and a palate that goes up a notch in intensity..."