Fassbind AG Gardel Secret Treasures Old Rum 1989

This is a rare glimpse of Gardel, a now-closed Guadeloupe distillery, a 1989 vintage aged thirteen years and bottled by Switzerland's Fassbind in its Secret Treasures line. Distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice with no added sugar, it predates the Guadeloupe IGP and comes from a source that no longer exists.

Age and tropical maturation have drawn it into a classic dry, old-agricole register: dry wood, leather and winter spices lead, with dried fruit and a touch of herbal cane underneath. The nose is a highlight, layered and savoury, and the palate stays dry and spice-forward through a woody, sugarcane-tinged finish. At an easy 42% it trades power for nuance, very approachable while still full of character. For drinkers drawn to old, dry agricole and the history of vanished distilleries, this is a characterful and increasingly hard-to-find bottle.