HSE Réserve Spéciale VSOP is a very old agricultural rum from Habitation Saint-Étienne, aged for four years in bourbon oak barrels. Appreciated for its spicy character, it pays tribute to Creole flavors and Martinique's terroir.
This old rum won three medals at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris, including two golds.
Laurent's tasting notes
Its color is a deep amber.
The nose is warm and rich. Sweet spices and candied fruit lead the way. Woodiness is also present, while vanilla remains in the background.
The rum coats the palate very expressively. The aromas of the nose are echoed. The whole is well balanced, both in terms of alcohol and on the dry/tasty side.
The finish is long. The greedy impression lingers, while wood forms the backbone of the finish.
Thomas
Good length of flavours even if not to my taste more than that but good product all the same.
Stéphane Ti'verre
On the nose 👃🏻: candied fruit emanating generously from the glass, warm and relatively lively. Fruits such as peach and apricot on a beautiful caramel coulis, it's very greedy. As the glass is aired, the woodiness becomes more present, a lovely oaky note well soaked with fruit, and I note a certain sweetness before the little notes of coffee and spices reveal themselves in their turn.
On the palate 👅 it's quite sweet but dry on the attack. With bitterness at the very beginning of the palate followed by a very nice roasted woodiness that develops all round with the spices that give it its vivacity in the mid-palate, pepper and clove. It tingles and heats up nicely, with a little licorice too. This rather damp wood switches to well-cooked caramel and dark chocolate on subsequent sips. It's already very mature for its age, and could do with a few more years.
The finish is interesting but not very long. It lingers on that lovely woodiness that takes up almost all the space, with the spicy notes we had earlier 👌
This HSE VSOP is well worth the detour: it's easy to drink and tasty. Is it an exceptional rum in its category? Your palate will tell. For me, I prefer JM VSOP, for example, or Damoiseau 5 ans from Guadeloupe. That's why I'm not giving the top mark to the HSE VSOP, which is slightly behind 😉
Julien G
Extraordinary value for money!
gilbert
I find this rum delicious, with very pronounced flavors and character... I always keep some at home...
Gérard Lambert
Meets my expectations. Competitive price!
And very nice redesign of the site, by the way.