Clément Vieux Secrets de fûts Riche is an agricultural rum from a series that illustrates the influence of wood on rum. Created by Robert Peronet, former cellar master at Martinique's Clément, it highlights the work involved in preparing and selecting the barrels.
Small French oak barrels were chosen for this intense, concentrated cuvée. They provide a rapid, intense woody imprint, which can be very useful in blending.
After column distillation, the pure cane juice was placed in one of these small casks for at least 3 years.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is full of rich wood, offering us a good paste of nuts with an oily, grainy texture. Peanuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts and pecans come to mind, all caramelized to perfection.
With aeration, a few vinous rancio notes appear, in the manner of a Pineau des Charentes. The fruits take advantage of this to get their heads out of the barrel, and we naturally find grapes, then other yellow fruits.
The palate is fluid and woody, and the cane glides effortlessly over the taste buds. It's much more present and fresher than on the nose, but its peppery juice gradually comes into its own, becoming more cooked and candied. A flurry of spices comes in on the mid-palate, bringing the pepperiness of the cane bark to the fore.
The finish is once again devoted to cane, a cane whose fiber has been extensively pressed and dried, but whose sweet aromas remain.
"A rich nose, with both wood and fruit, which gives way to a more natural palate, with hints of cane..."
