Depaz Cuvée Prestige

Depaz distils at the foot of Mont Pelee in northern Martinique, and as a Martinique rum this Cuvee Prestige carries the weight of the world's only rum AOC, where only fresh pressed sugar cane juice is allowed and no sugar may be added. This is the eleven year expression, bottled at an easy yet expressive 45%, a maturity that tropical ageing pushes beyond its stated age.

Aged in ex-bourbon oak, it leans into the elegant, fruit forward side of aged agricole, with yellow and stone fruit of peach, apricot and grape lifted by vanilla, warm baking spice and a thread of light tobacco. The grassy cane core is still there beneath roasted nuts and a gently woody, burnt sugar finish, dry and unsweetened as the appellation demands. The result is a polished, almost honeyed sipper that rewards attention without ever turning aggressive, a fine showcase of the Depaz volcanic terroir.