V.S.O.P. Rhum Agricole

Rare rum for fans of Cognac.

Rhum Clément V.S.O.P. is a multi-award-winning Rhum Agricole matured for at least four years in a combination of brand-new Limousin oak casks and re-charred ex-Bourbon barrels. The nose is immediately reminiscent of Cognac, with its notes of golden sultana, grape, prune, leather, iris, blossom, crème brûlée and oak. It then evolves to deliver a tropical combo of guava, mango, banana and coconut (reminding you that it is in fact a Caribbean rum), accompanied by a twist of lemon, sweet vanilla, woodsmoke and an umami touch of roasted mushrooms and toasted nuts. If you can imagine sipping Cognac in the sunshine, sat between a Caribbean restaurant kitchen and a wildflower meadow in full bloom, and you’ll be some way to understanding the beauty of this Rhum Agricole. Awarded 96 points by the experts at Wine Enthusiast, this is simply gorgeous sipped neat or mixed into either rum- or Cognac-based cocktails.

When Europeans stopped buying sugar from the rugged Caribbean island of Martinique, the industry collapsed. But the pioneering and entrepreneurial Mayor of Le François, Homère Clément, stepped in and bought the prestigious Domaine de l’Acajou plantation. Using similar methods to those employed in Cognac, he focused his attention on the production of A.O.C. Martinique Rhum Agricole. Most rum is made from molasses (a by-product of the sugar production), but the funkier Rhum Agricole is crafted from free-run sugarcane juice, giving it plant-like flavours and more sense of terroir. Think of it as the natural wine of the rum world. Homère Clément is widely seen as the father of Rhum Agricole (although it was his son, Charles, who perfected the family recipe), and the distillery that bears his name remains one of the finest proponents of this style. Their rhum is only produced for two months a year, when the sugarcane is ripe and fresh. This juice is open-top fermented (native yeasts adding to the unique sense of place), then passed through a single-column copper still, before being mellowed in gently aerated stainless steel tanks. Domaine de l’Acajou was renamed Habitation Clément. This Créole home is the birthplace of Rhum Agricole and is listed as a Historic Monument by the Ministry of Culture. For true rum geeks, visiting and tasting Rhum Clément is like a holy experience.