Père Labat 8 ans Très Vieux is an agricultural rum made using the traditional methods for which the distilleries on the island of Marie-Galante are renowned. This exceptional cuvée is produced in limited quantities from the juice of hand-cut sugar cane. It is then aged in oak barrels, taking advantage of the tropical heat to build up its aromas.
Nico's tasting notes
In brief: complex - sweet spices - wood - medicinal - fruit - roasting - vegetal
On the nose, this old rum looks a little dusty, and it will take a little time to bring it out of its torpor and see it develop. A little vanilla comes to the fore, with a timid, tender woodiness. It awakens a rather medicinal profile, with resinous, candied aromatic herbs, followed by dried fruits such as apricot and prune. Still restrained, we note a small, elegant core and a troop of nuts arriving in the distance.
Aeration invites us to plunge into the heart of the rum, with very old fruit brandy and damp oak. The fruits are candied on themselves, their skins glazed with sweet spices. There's a very old-fashioned, exotic feel to it, a tropical wetness and thickness.
On the palate, the rum retains its singular character, with an even more exuberant exoticism. The old fruit brandy is actually thick, cloudy cane juice, captured in a freshly emptied rum barrel. The cane takes center stage, surrounded by dried apricots and prunes, candied citrus, fresh blond tobacco and black tea.
On the finish, sweet spices tighten around the woodiness and melt with tobacco, tea and a hint of yeast.
"This intriguing rum is a beautiful sleeper, a forgotten castaway that will regain its full glory after a good dusting..."
jean-louis
a nectar..... Be very careful you can't stop when you taste it