Real McCoy 3 ans is a traditional rum from the Foursquare distillery in Barbados.
It is aged in American oak barrels that have previously contained bourbon, then filtered with charcoal. This final stage before bottling removes the amber color, making the rum as transparent as unaged white rum, but retaining the complex aromas acquired during the 3 years spent in casks. In this way, it can be blended with the ingredients of a cocktail without altering its color.
Nico's tasting notes
On the nose, after the solvent notes that evaporate in the first few moments, a lovely woody note embellished with toasted coconut, vanilla and tobacco takes us by the hand and takes us straight to Barbados. This is indeed an aged rum, as its color does not indicate, where aromas of burnt caramel amplify the discrepancy between smell and sight. Nuts such as hazelnut and peanut suggest a round, mellow rum, perfumed with dried fruits such as apricot.
On aeration, molasses and toasted wood begin a rawer turn. The nuts have dried and become a little dustier, leading to the more classic terrain of a rum with wood and dark caramel.
On the palate, we're still baffled by the sensory gap that exists this time between sight and taste. We have caramel, vanilla, coconut and a cocoa/orange flavor reminiscent of orangettes. It's all quite full-bodied and velvety, pleasantly so, all the more so as a hint of resinous vegetation adds complexity and the feeling of an accomplished rum.
For the finish, the nuts melt away thanks to a little fleur de sel, to give us a lovely length.