Clément 1970

Clement 1970 is an old Martinique rhum agricole, distilled from fresh pressed sugar cane juice on the historic Clement estate and aged some twenty one years. A vintage bottling of this age is a glimpse into an earlier era of agricole, the kind of mature rum that, at a gentle 44%, has settled into elegance rather than oaky heaviness.

Column distilled and matured in ex bourbon wood, the long years have built a deep, polished profile: dried fruits and nuts, tobacco and mocha, dark chocolate and honey over fine grained oak, with a dry, tea and oak laced finish. The grassy snap of youth has all but given way to a rounded, almost cognac like smoothness, the alcohol fully woven into a soft texture. Refined and balanced, this is a quiet, contemplative agricole for drinkers who seek out very old French island rum and want to sip it slowly, without distraction.