Winner of the silver medal at the Concours Général Agricole de Paris in 2010, Karukera Réserve Spéciale is a 42% proof aged rum. Rich in aromas, Réserve Spéciale is a skilful blend of several agricultural rums aged for five years in American and French oak barrels. These cuvées are made exclusively from blue cane, renowned for its aromatic potential. What's more, aging is accelerated by the Antilles sun.
Nico's tasting notes
The nose of rhum agricole is very fine and measured. Prune and pineapple play off against cane and oak. The woodiness is mellow and spicy, but restrained. The nose is complex, with wood at every level but in different forms, and also camphor and freshness. The aromas are varied, ranging from coffee to dried fruit. The rum also has a creamy, leaden-ice aspect, and is increasingly blended with candied fruit, asserting its Guadeloupean identity. A small film of caramel dries on the rim of the glass.
Aeration gives fullness to the melted wood and freshly ground nuts. A pretty cherry or stone brandy lends a certain class to the rum. A touch of menthol adds just the right amount of freshness, confirming the rum's complexity and accomplished character.
On the palate, the woodiness is very tasty, highlighting equally tasty apricot notes. It's also made of nuts and peanut paste. These notes from the barrel contain a well-preserved cane, with a little pepperiness and a bitterness of lime zest. The gourmet notes of fermentation have also been well preserved, expressed through yeast and well-passed, stewed banana. This overflow of exoticism doesn't break the balance, however: the rum is rich but chic thanks to its full profile, sprinkled with fine spices too.
The finish inevitably picks up on the woodiness felt at every stage of the tasting. It is melted, spicy (melted pepper), and scented with dried fruit.
"A very nice rum, well composed, with accuracy and subtlety..."
