Carrere Montebello La Brigade

Montebello is a traditional family-run Guadeloupe agricole distillery, and La Brigade is a special bottling produced for the commander of the gendarmerie forces in Guadeloupe, an aged cane-juice rum released at full cask strength.

Distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice and bottled at 56.6%, it is rich and aromatic, with a fruity, vegetal, spicy nose and a smooth palate that turns surprisingly rounded and lightly sweet for the proof, then a fresh, oily finish carrying citrus and a touch of chocolate. The high strength gives it body and a long close while the cane-juice base keeps it lively rather than heavy. A characterful, smooth agricole with a story behind the label, best met with a few drops of water to open it up.