Depaz Millésime 2002

Depaz Millesime 2002 is an AOC Martinique rhum agricole from the Depaz estate, sitting at the foot of Mont Pelee near Saint-Pierre, a producer whose volcanic-terroir story is central to its identity. As an agricole it is distilled from fresh pressed sugar cane juice on the creole column still, and as a stated vintage it carries the higher ageing floor that Martinique places on millesime bottlings.

Aged in ex-bourbon oak under the Martinique sun, it keeps the grassy agricole core while gaining a dry, woody depth of cacao, dried fruit and tropical fruit, with a spicy, fruity finish. There is no added sugar under the AOC, so it stays honest and dry, more spice-forward than a sweet molasses rum, and tropical ageing lends maturity beyond its calendar years. At 45% it has structure and layered depth that reward slow, attentive sipping, a strong pick for drinkers who like dry agricole or oak-forward whisky.