This rum is currently on special offer in 2 special offers: O Reizinho duo Gold and O Reizinho white and gold 45° !
O Reizinho Gold 45% is a young amber agricultural rum from the island of Madeira. It spent a minimum of 6 months in old 300L Madeira casks from Justino's. The idea is to create a kind of finish on a white rum, while retaining its freshness and the eau-de-vie's original qualities.
This agricultural rum is distilled in small batches in a small copper still.
Nico's tasting notes
On the nose, a fresh, herbaceous vegetal aroma settles on a still young, green woodiness, full of resin. Cane juice mingles with this country atmosphere, adding thickness and an irresistible exoticism. The rhum agricole then takes the reins, in full bloom, as if it had just come out of the still, strong and pure. Hints of licorice and honey flow under the nostrils, and the sweetness is at its peak.
A little aeration delivers the peppery notes of sugarcane fiber, then the vegetal notes return through a rather striking menthol. A few green aromatics have been thrown into the juice: basil, a lemongrass stick and even a tomato stem.
On the palate, the attack is dominated by young, lively golden wood, with a touch of tobacco. The cane gains momentum and soon reaches the whole palate. It's a little acidic at first, then a touch iodized, with a hint of green olive in brine. This sugar cane au naturel is just draped in a vaporous, delicate plant casket, beneath which we can make out its generous curves and peppery character.
The finish is sweet and honeyed, melting the cane sugar over rum-soaked wood and tobacco.
"The white rum has simply been dressed in a woody, vegetal veil, revealing a few more colorful nuances, while always remaining true to itself..."
Stéphane Ti'verre
On the nose 👃🏻: as with the brut de fût version I tasted previously, I find the typical fruitiness and the acidic, vinous side less pronounced. The cane juice is more in evidence here, still quite sweet and a little more vegetal as a result. The oak comes through very moderately, with a sunny vanilla note and a hint of pineapple.
On the palate 👅: despite being a reduced version, the 45% sends out just what's needed. First we have the dried fruits expressing themselves generously, with a very nice sweetness and slightly vanilla-like roundness. The woodiness is very gentle, leaving plenty of room for the fresh, honeyed, exotic cane, which builds up in the mouth for long seconds.
The finish is moderately long and relatively spicy. This generous cane juice is retained, then a touch of cinnamon appears. It's fresh and balanced, slightly minty at the very end, with a hint of nuts emerging 👌
Verdict ⚡️: this is an elegant rum that shows more balance than the unreduced version. I personally prefer it this way, it's less confusing and I enjoyed it more from the first sips 👌. What's more, the finish isn't any shorter. Just goes to show (depending on individual preferences, of course) that a brut de fût is not necessarily better than a reduced rum, it's also a question of balance and harmony 😃