Barbancourt Cuvée 160ème anniversaire

Barbancourt is Haiti's grand old house, distilling from fresh pressed sugarcane juice in a style closer to refined agricole than to the rustic village clairins, so this is cane juice rum that wears a more polished face. This 160th anniversary cuvee is aged eight years in ex bourbon oak and bottled at a classic 43 percent.

Where village clairin runs wild and funky, Barbancourt aims for elegance and smoothness. The nose leans on vanilla, pepper, roast and wood, the palate turns velvety with dried fruit, vanilla and oak, and the finish carries roasted notes, raisin and a citrus lift. The wood is gentle and the texture soft, which makes it approachable, though it trades some of the fruity Haiti intensity for that polish. This is a graceful, easygoing aged cane juice rum, a fine introduction to Haiti for drinkers who prefer their rum smooth rather than feral.