Neisson 2005

Neisson is a small, much admired family distillery in Martinique, and this 2005 is one of its benchmark aged releases, a twelve year agricole made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice on a Creole column still under the island's AOC. Bottled unsweetened at cask strength of 49.7%, it is a reference point for what mature Martinique rum can be.

Twelve years of tropical ageing in ex-bourbon oak have produced a dry, beautifully integrated rum, with fresh citrus and tropical fruit, a signature minty licorice note, walnut and elegant oak spice, finishing long, warm and vegetal. Nothing here is overdone, the wood, fruit and strength sitting in fine balance, additive free as both house and appellation demand. It rewards focused, unhurried sipping and a little patience in the glass, where layer after layer unfolds. This is aged agricole for drinkers who already love Neisson and serious cane juice rum, a dry, polished bottle that sets a high baseline.