Bielle 2007

Bielle on Marie-Galante is known for its high-proof, characterful agricoles, and this 2007 vintage is a 7 year old tropically aged and bottled brut de fut at 57.3%. Pressed from fresh cane juice rather than molasses, it shows the distillery's floral, grassy DNA amplified by full strength and time in cask.

Tropical ageing concentrates it well beyond its years: a nose of citrus, licorice, herbs and vanilla, a palate of grass, bitterness, caramel and dark chocolate, then a smoky, vanilla-and-pear finish that stays balanced. The strength is well integrated, and there is a pronounced cocoa depth threaded through the agricole freshness. A complex, powerful aged blanc-into-vieux for drinkers who like intensity, equally good neat or opened up with a splash of water.