Damoiseau Rhum Vieux Agricole 10 Ans

Damoiseau is the largest Guadeloupe distillery and a major export name, working from fresh pressed sugar cane juice under the island's IGP rather than the Martinique AOC. This ten year old draws on aged stock, blending rum that has spent its maturation in ex bourbon oak, and it stands out for a smoky streak that is unusual in agricole, leaning closer to a fruity, ester rich profile than a textbook cane juice vieux.

The nose carries cigar, tobacco and smoke alongside fruit, while the palate turns to tobacco, mango, banana and spice, the finish staying smoky with tobacco, mango and sugarcane. That smokiness divides opinion, intriguing for some, a step away from what others look for in an agricole, recalling certain Saint Lucia rums in its character. Bottled at 42% and matured in tropical heat, it is a distinctive, fruit and smoke driven aged Guadeloupe rum, well worth a look for drinkers who enjoy an agricole that does not play it straight, a touch more proof would suit some palates.