Depaz Private Cask (Premium Craft Spirits Selection) 2010

Depaz, distilling at the foot of Mont Pelée since 1917 with a strong volcanic-terroir story, is the source of this Private Cask, an eleven year old 2010 Martinique AOC agricole bottled at cask strength, 58.2% and unsweetened. It is a serious, oak-driven expression that leans hard into structure.

Pressed from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled on a creole column run low to keep the cane congeners, it matures in ex-bourbon oak under tropical heat. The nose is fruity and toasted with vanilla and pepper, the palate turns woody and intense with dried fruit, dark chocolate and a vivid leather note, and the finish is tannic, earthy and slightly bitter with a cork-and-peat edge. A menthol freshness and red-fruit lift keep it from feeling heavy. Bone dry and disciplined throughout, it is best taken neat at full strength by drinkers who like assertive, woody agricole with real grip.