Like 2008 and 2009, 2007 benefited from optimal sunshine. The sugar-rich canes enabled Damoiseau to produce an exceptional vintage.
This rum was first aged for 10 years in 220 liter ex-bourbon American oak barrels, to then be bottled after a reduction to 42°.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is quickly reminiscent of a tightly-packed coffee, with notes of roast, walnut stain and the minerality of charcoal. The oak in the cask has been well toasted, so it could also evoke a well-dried sherry cask with dark, gripping tannins. In the background, an agricultural rum garnished with a paste of granular nuts.
A little aeration brings out a rather original mineral character, coupled with a rather dry vegetal character. It's a profile not so often encountered, reminiscent of a pencil sharpened, with its lead and copings. The agricultural rum appears in a second phase, its bagasse binds with the wood, then the nuts are reborn.
On the palate, nuts joyfully rush to the forefront, and we're delighted to welcome them. Highlighted by a very fragrant pepper, they are much rounder than they had shown on the nose. After dancing on the tongue until exhausted, they reveal very delicate dried fruits that also arrive by surprise, for the better.
The finish is fruity, against all expectations, and even pushes the sweetness to perfectly Guadeloupean candied fruits.
"Quite a contrast between a very roasted nose and a melting, fragrant palate..."
