Clément Select Barrel

Clement is a long-established Martinique estate, and this Select Barrel is a young AOC rhum agricole, distilled on a creole column from fresh sugarcane juice at low strength to keep the cane character. Rested two years in ex-bourbon oak and bottled unsweetened at 40%, it is a budget-friendly, gentle introduction to the style rather than a deep or powerful one.

The fresh-juice base gives the grassy, vegetal core that sets agricole apart from molasses rum, here in a soft, light frame. The nose shows woody vanilla, apple and sugarcane, while the palate stays woody and dry with grass and the agricole snap, closing on young wood and an earthy, grassy note with a hint of smoke. At 40% it is calm and approachable, an affordable, versatile bottle for the agricole-curious who like dry, light vanilla-and-apple profiles, equally at home neat or in a Ti Punch.