Spotlight on Rhum Agricole A.O.C.
As near as anyone can figure, rum was born sometime, somewhere in the early to mid-seventeenth century. Barbados lays claim to its invention, and no one to date has found concrete reason to dispute the notion, but it is possible that the first rum was instead produced in Hispaniola or Cuba, or perhaps Brazil.*
What is almost certain is that it was developed not because someone saw great potential in the fermentation and distillation of molasses, but rather that they required a way to dispose of the waste produced by the processing of cane into sugar – that aforementioned molasses – and thought making it into alcohol was a noble means to an end. Which is why the vast majority of rum produced in the Caribbean, or anywhere else, for that matter, is derived from molasses.
Except, that is, on the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, where pure cane juice is distilled into a quite different style of rum, so different that it is habitually known by its French name, rhum agricole.
Beautiful Martinique
The process for making rhum agricole is intense, with the cane moving from harvest to crush to fermentation within 24 hours, and in Martinique, also highly regulated, as the island is the only place on earth where rum production is governed by a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, or AOC. Unlike Guadeloupe, where the method of production is similar but ungoverned, producers in Martinique must adhere to a very specific set of standards, including the kind of still (single column), length of maturation for various label claims (at least six weeks for white rhums, one year for élevé sous bois, meaning ‘raised in wood’ and sometimes simply called ambré, three years for vieux, VS, or VSOP, and six years for vintage dated rhums), and duration of the harvest (January to August). These controls even go so far as to mandate that each and every batch of AOC rhum must be nosed and approved by an official of the appellation prior to its release.
The result is a spirit quite removed from molasses-produced rum, less sweet and more fragrant and floral, reflecting the pure aroma and flavor of the sugar cane even in aged versions. Further, the presence of the AOC virtually guarantees that while some rhums will be better than others, absolutely none will disappoint and each will afford the consumer drinker a decidedly different rum drinking experience.
* For more on the history of rum, please see Wayne Curtis’ excellent book, And a Bottle of Rum, Broadway Books, 2018.
The Ti’ Punch
While rhum agricole definitely has its place in mixology, there is a joyful freshness to Martinique rhums, whether youthful and fragrant or aged to profound complexity, which suggests simplicity might be the best path to their enjoyment. This may be why the country’s national drink is the three ingredient cocktail known as the Ti’ Punch.
To make one, squeeze a small wedge of fresh lime into an Old Fashioned glass and add a little sugar or simple syrup. Stir it until the sugar has dissolved, or the syrup integrated, add a healthy pour of rhum, and give it one last stir. It’s as simple as that, and may be mixed to equal perfection with white or amber rhums, even VS or VSOP versions. In Martinique, it is customarily enjoyed as is, but no one will look askance if you add an ice cube or two.
Clément Blanc (40%): The aroma is sweet without being cloying, offering notes of fruit blossoms, grape and plum, and fresh lime zest. On the palate, it is expressively floral up front, evoking thoughts of carnations, and then turns drier and more earthy, with citrus notes assisting in the segue to a dry, lemon-and-lime-accented finish. Emphatically floral, but kept in check by balancing citrus notes, and a very fine introduction to the rhum agricole style.
75 ($39 in AB)
Clément VSOP (40%): This bright gold rhum has a surprisingly fresh aroma, given its four years of aging, three in bourbon casks and one in French oak, with full floral notes balanced by orange and fresh lemon. The body follows suit, with a sweet and floral orangey character up front, accompanied by some earthy, oaky notes, then a more generally citrusy body with vanilla, nutmeg, light tannins, and a hint of black pepper. The finish is bone dry, with peppery spice and lingering orange oils. A lovely sipping rhum that is evocative of cognac in all the best ways.
87 ($65 - $70 in AB)
Clément Trés Vieux X.O. (42%): Aged for a minimum of six years, this boasts a spicy aroma of burnt orange zest and cinnamon, with a soft clove accent and faint notes of caramelized sugar layered over top of the house floral character, which gently persists even after all that time in oak. The body is full and rich, evocative in its orange fruitiness of a well-matured brandy, with mid-palate notes of toasted oak, dried apricot and peach, and vanilla leading to a very dry finish accented by lingering flavours of baking spice. Certainly well positioned as an after-dinner digestif, but I could also see it served with a cube of ice as an aperitif.
85 ($136 in NB)
Clément Grand Réserve 10 year old (42%): As you’d expect after ten years, there is a fair amount of oak influence on the nose, with dry vanilla, cinnamon stick, dried orange peel, and tanned leather notes. The body is sweeter than the dryness of the aroma might make you expect, at least in the front, with ample fruitiness – orange, pineapple, maybe even a hint of plum – giving way to a peppery, cinnamony spice with dry vanilla and oak character on the mid-palate. The finish is dry to off-dry, with very light hints of white pepper, mild vanilla, notes of stone fruit, and some orange peel. Medium bodied, extremely well balanced, and quite delicious.
91 ($130 in NB)
Homère Clément (44%): This amber hued blend of six to ten year old rhums is wonderfully complex on the nose, with notes of orange, tanned leather, dried pear, clove, and very soft cinnamon mixing with a faint whiff of grassy sugar cane and a touch of volcanic terroir. On the palate, it has a bit of sweet brown sugar up front, but quickly settles into a drier body of citrus oils, cocoa, a touch of woodiness and licorice root, and brown spice on the lengthy and lingering finish.
89 ($151 in AB)
Saint James Blanc (40%): In many ways, this represents the essence of rhum agricole, particularly so in its gently sweet and robustly perfumey aroma of fresh sugar cane and wild flowers. The palate entry is likewise strongly characterized by the flavour of sugar cane, sweet but nowhere close to cloying, with a retro-olfactory perfume that positions the drinker immediately in the cane fields. The flavour dries as it progresses, becoming less floral and more vegetal, but no less enjoyable, before it lands at a somewhat abrupt finish with a final whiff of florals and lingering peppery heat.
81 ($33 to $37 in NS, ON, NL)
Saint James Royal Ambré (40%): Although not labelled as such, this élevé sous bois is matured in oak for a minimum of eighteen months, resulting in a rich aroma that blends dark and slightly burnt caramel, grassy sugar cane, and vanilla with hints of peppery spice. The palate entry is toffee-ish, but with a fresh and floral, vaguely grassy appeal. As the flavour continues to develop, the toffee flavours become more akin to spice cake, with hints of ginger and allspice, dried cherry and soft oakiness, concluding in a lengthy and lingering finish of vanilla, white pepper, a bit of burnt sugar, and alcohol warmth. Well-suited to a Ti’ Punch or mixology, but a bit aggressive and hot on its own.
78 ($30 - $37 in ON, BC, QC, NL, MB)
Trois-Rivières Cuvée de l'Océan (42%): Made exclusively from cane farmed on the southern tip of the island at l’Anse Trabaud, with ocean on either side, resulting in a spirit that presents a true maritime character from the first sniff. Expect seashore-style salinity on the nose, alongside stone fruit, a touch of petrol, and some hints of dried flowers. The palate commences with a gentle sweetness before the salinity kicks in, followed by floral notes and stone fruit, cane sugar and a touch of phenolics before a finish that may be properly described as ‘salt and pepper’ – peppery spice over a lingering salinity. One of Martinique’s most unusual rhums, unique and fascinating, but more for cocktailing or sipping straight than for use in a Ti Punch.
90 CRITIC’S CHOICE ($40 in QC)
Trois-Rivières Ambré (42%): Although not from cane grown on l’Anse Trabaud, there is a faint whiff of salinity to this élevé sous bois, noticeable on the nose alongside hints of tropical orange and gentle spice. It is much less apparent, however, in the sweet, caramelly, slightly grassy body, with notes of stone fruit and honey, although the salinity does return to, well, not exactly prominence, but at least slightly higher stature in the off-dry finish. Very emblematic of the house style, and certainly more suited to a Ti’ Punch than is the Cuvée de l'Océan, but a bit on the simple side nonetheless.
75 ($39 in QC)
Rhum J.M ESB Gold (50%) The impact of the oak on this élevé sous bois is immediately apparent in the aroma, which shows prominent notes of caramel and vanilla, a fruitiness that is more stewed than fresh, and a mellowing of the distillery’s typically spicy character, usually notable in an anise accent which is a bit more reserved here. The palate entry is sweetly oaky, with evident notes of charred wood and a hint of banana creeping in, perhaps from the Jack Daniel’s barrels used in maturation. The mid-palate sees a return of dry brown spice, with the anise arising towards the dry and oaky finish. Probably as close to a classic molasses-based amber rum as rhum agricole gets, but even so this is still something quite different.
83 ($76 in NB)
Rhum J.M. V.S.O.P. (43%): The fresh oakiness of the ESB Gold has, with maturation, settled down to a more complex and nuanced aroma, with dry vanilla and charred wood notes balanced by brown spice, including hints of anise, caramel, baked apple, and stewed peach. On the palate, it is oak-accented without being overly oaky, with fresh baking spice and anise at the front, raisin and date with hints of lemon zest in the middle, and a dry, earthy finish buoyed by lingering vanilla. Beautifully balanced.
92 ($106 in NB)
Rhum J.M. X.O. (45%): The most popular of the distillery’s aged rhums, this spends five years in used American whiskey barrels prior to a year of finishing in French oak. The quite elegant and impressively complex aroma holds notes of anise, dried fruit, and charred oak, with hints of vanilla and stewed peaches. On the palate, it is quite oak-accented, but not at all to an oppressive degree, and dry with flavours of raisin and dried apricot, anise and allspice. The finish transitions deftly from light sweetness to firm dryness, with spice supplanting the fruit and lingering quite pleasurably. Where the distillery’s ESB Gold might stray towards molasses-based rum, this shows itself to be something quite removed and impressively sophisticated.
88 ($136 in NB)