La Favorite La Flibuste 2001

La Favorite is a family run Martinique distillery, and La Flibuste is its prized old vintage, here from 2001 with twenty two years behind it, made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice on a creole column. Tropical ageing pushes maturity well beyond the calendar, and despite a gentle 40% the rum carries notable depth and a plush, dessert leaning profile.

The nose is sweet and inviting with caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate and a nutty edge, and the palate stays soft and rich with woody notes, milk chocolate, honey and vanilla, closing sweet and woody with dried fruit and a pastry like finish. It drinks remarkably full for its strength. The bottling carries a long standing reputation as well as some debate among drinkers about its sweetness, so it is best approached as a soft, indulgent old agricole rather than a bone dry one. A pour for those who enjoy mellow, sweet toned aged rum.