91
Barbancourt Rhum Estate Réserve 15 Years Haiti 43%
Barbancourt is the calling card for Haitin rhum agricole, rhum being French for rum. Rhum agricole is made from hand-harvested cane sugar. At Barbancourt, this 15-Year Rhum is put through a column still then transferred to an alembic pot still. It is aged in French Limousin oak: 7,000-liter casks for the first year, 400-liter casks for seven years then finally to 200-liter (smaller than the typical red wine aging barrel) for the final seven years.

This one is a mouthcoating, succulent rhum. It smells of vanilla bean, cinnamon stick and candied orange peel. The palate brings on candied fig, bruised plum, raisins and brown sugar. The oak cask aging clearly contributes to the exotic array of baking spice notes, but there are no overt char or smoke notes and the overall integration is spot on. There is a spice-filled and lifting hint of heat on the lingering finish that gives the rhum a kicking finale. To take off the heat, I like placing a chilled rock cube in my glass for a few minutes before enjoying.