Velier Bielle Rhum Rhum Libération Integrale 2012 2007

This is Velier's bottling of the Rhum Rhum project at Bielle on Marie-Galante, an unusual pot-distilled cane-juice rhum made with master distiller Gianni Capovilla. From the 2007 vintage, aged in ex-bourbon wood and bottled unsweetened at 59.8%, it is a cane-juice agricole-style spirit from the Guadeloupe islands, where the looser IGP rather than Martinique's AOC applies, so the freshness and terroir come through without any additive softening. The full proof and pot still give it more weight than a typical creole-column agricole.

The nose is woody, vanilla-rich, spicy and herbal; the palate turns to spice, caramel, wood and tropical fruit, finishing long on spice, oak and almond. Drinkers describe fresh sugarcane, herbs and citrus opening into dried apricot, peach iced tea, almond and warm spice, with very well integrated alcohol and a near-endless finish that a few drops of water help to open. Dry, complex and powerful, it is a contemplative rhum for anyone who enjoys intense agricole or high-end Savanna and wants real depth from fresh cane.