Saint James Quintessence is one of the most prestigious rums from the Saint James house, which proudly bears the label AOP Rhum agricole français in the world of spirits.
Quintessence is the successor to Cuvée du 240e anniversaire. It is made from a blend of Saint James' finest vintages. These vintages have been aged for at least 6 years in small casks.
Quintessence was created to bring out the full range of Saint James aromas in a single rum.
Nico's tasting notes
On the nose, we're warned, the signs of a high-class rum are immediately in place: cherry, stone brandy, old wood, and something powdery underpinned by freshly ground coffee. The rum opens up and reveals a vegetal, slightly resinous side. But it's decidedly rancio (a type of wine aged in contact with oxygen that develops nutty, roasted or even stone aromas) that dominates this first nose, developing on oxidized apple, red fruit and prune. Cinnamon and nutmeg are fresh, fruity but not extravagant. Everything is contained by this chic, powdery woodiness.
On aeration, this famous woodiness becomes more mellow, and we now think of a cherry stone eau-de-vie in which precious wood bark has swum. We're in a humid undergrowth, but this undergrowth is indeed tropical. Curry spices float in the heavy air, with hints of walnut and rancio.
The palate is very smooth and well-balanced, one would just like to say that this is a very good agricole. But let's go into a bit more detail: we have a mixture of fruit brandy, pine thorns and spicy notes straight out of a cigar box. These aromas come and go in a beautiful complexity, without ever clashing. Another sign of a great rum is that the palate offers as much as the nose, and even takes the liberty of adding more: licorice, light banana, apricot, date, orange and, finally, melting milk chocolate. Delicious...
To make matters worse, the rum delivers a long finish of stone brandy.
"What can I say, Saint James' art of ageing gives us here a gourmet and sophisticated pleasure..."
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