HSE Ragtime

Ragtime is an entry level vieux from HSE, distilled at Distillerie du Simon in Martinique from fresh pressed sugar cane and bottled unsweetened at 40%. It is built as an accessible, everyday aged agricole rather than a statement bottling.

The wood is gentle and the profile easygoing, with fresh sugar cane, vanilla and light oak on the nose, a dry, lightly spiced palate carrying cane and vanilla, and a finish that turns toward chocolate, oak and fresh wood. There is a familiar bourbon adjacent vibe to the oak that makes it an easy step for drinkers coming from softer whiskies or light column still rums. Sippable neat and dependable in a Ti' vieux or a cocktail, it makes a solid, unintimidating introduction to the agricole style.