This aged rum is a tribute to Victor Depaz, whose entire family was decimated by the eruption of Mount Pelée in 1902, and who in 1917 rebuilt the distillery that still produces the excellent Depaz rhum agricole today.
Cuvée Victor is a blend of rums aged between 3 and 4 years in small ex-bourbon oak barrels.
Nico's tasting notes
In brief: exotic fruits - mellow tannins - dried fruits - woody - cane
The nose offers a balanced blend of dried exotic fruits and fatty nuts. The sensation is rustic rather than fresh, as the exotic fruits seem to ferment and stew into a thick paste. A slight acidity enhances the whole, and that's all the rum needs at this moment. Pineapple, passion fruit and citrus are extracted from this bushy exoticism. The woody tannins melt away and the woodiness is waxed with encaustic. This little wax gives a shiny, radiant rib to a gourmet rum that now offers hints of chocolate-tinged nuts.
Airing the rum makes it even more opulent and exotic. The tropical wetness also takes on pepper and slightly green wood. The vegetal side is candied, fruits like apricot and peach are well roasted, and the nuts are fatty. We don't quite sink into the depths of this tropical orchard, as we retain a certain floral freshness, with cane, apple and pear as well. The balance between fruity and spicy is a sign that the rum is ready to be enjoyed.
The palate is sweet and savory, with a cane that's both round and peppery. The texture is relatively light, as are the various flavors, which follow one another in a rather delicate fashion. Woodiness and prune concentrate in a kind of resinous vegetal, while cane and pepper lead straight to a fairly pronounced orange zest. Menthol lends amplitude and lifts the palate to a fruity note of banana and peach.
The finish is rather long, with dried fruit, wood tannins, then some spices and light nuts.
"After a heady opening, it's also the freshness of the wood that this rum de pur jus has managed to capture..."
