Domaine de Courcelles 1972 is a very old Guadeloupe rum, distilled on Grande-Terre. It is a rhum de sucrerie, or molasses rum, from the estate's last historic distillation. Distilled in 1972, it spent more than 20 years in barrel before being placed in oak casks to limit evaporation while maturing.
It was bottled in February 2019, 47 years after it was made. So here's a real piece of history!
While we wait for the tasting notes, here are those of the previous version:
The nose is full of tropical fruits, like guava, pineapple and mango juice, leading us almost to a kind of barrel-aged planteur punch. The sensation of a sweet rum emerges, with candied citrus, orange peel and some mild spices.
Aeration only confirms this impression of fruit juice, with passion fruit adding a tangy, even more exotic aspect. An air of heavy, leather-tinged rum begins to overflow from the fruit, accompanied by a hint of iodine.
On the palate, passion fruit, guava and pineapple are all present, carried by a hint of alcohol and spice. A fruity candy comes to mind, all the more so when flavors of cane sugar syrup sparkle on the tongue mid-palate.
The finish is rather light, and orchard fruits like apricot complete the picture, accompanied by verbena leaves.
"A very surprising profile for this very old rum, which has managed to remain extremely fresh and above all fruity..."
Toine
collector's item!