This heart of heating is not distilled in a column like the rest of the Saint James production, but in a copper still. After a double distillation , the heads and tails are removed (hence the beginning and end of the distillate). Thus, only the “heart” is retained. It is then slowly reduced to reach 60°.
It's another way of distilling that's outside the AOC specifications, but produces a rum that's extremely rich in flavor. Perfect for a ti punch, it can also be drunk as a tasting rum, in a good old tulip glass...
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is powerful and needs a little air to release its more ethereal notes. It opens with fairly dry floral notes, such as geranium. The gray pepper is quite fierce, part of an almost mineral bark that protects the cane.
Aeration confirms the resolutely dry, ethereal side of this rum, and notes of black and red berries are added to the profile. These titillate the cane, which then emerges from its bark, always accompanied by peppery notes.
The palate goes straight for the cane, with a most pleasing intensity. There's no detour here: it's a full, straight cane that takes shape on the taste buds. It imposes itself on us, thanks to a dry profile and a certain power, but who could complain? Here's a cane eau-de-vie without artifice, with a certain clarity and purity of aroma.
The finish is tasty and long, with pepper and fresh cane juice.
"A rum that's not easy to approach because of its dry, ethereal nose. On the other hand, it brings out the cane in the mouth in an extremely masterful way..."
