Rumclub Private Selection Ed. 26 Agricole Rum F.W.I (Ex-Gardel Finish)

This is a single cask from the German bottler Spirit of Rum, part of its Rumclub Private Selection, an agricole style rum from the French West Indies distilled from fresh pressed cane juice on a column still. The estate is not named, but the Martinique style profile and the ex Gardel cask finish point to a classic island character, bottled here at a gentle 41.6%.

Matured in ex bourbon wood and finished in a former Gardel cask, it balances a fruity nose of sugarcane, plum and raisin against a drier, woodier palate of herbs and vegetal cane, the finish turning to tobacco, black tea and roasted wood. There is a lot happening on the nose for the strength, even if it stays soft in the glass. Bottled at an easy proof and modest price, it makes a characterful daily sipper for anyone settling into agricole.