Neisson 21 Years 1993

Neisson 21 Years 1993 is a long-aged vintage agricole from Neisson, the small family distillery founded in 1931 and a perennial favourite among agricole drinkers in Martinique. Distilled from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice and matured in ex-bourbon oak, twenty-one years is a very long run for an agricole, and tropical ageing makes this an unusually deep, mature expression of the style.

The nose is layered and refined, with tobacco, cedar wood, sandalwood and cinnamon. The palate carries citrus, cedar and sandalwood with a licorice thread, well textured and persistent, and the finish brings tropical fruit, wood and tobacco that lingers. This is aged agricole at its most polished, the grassy cane core long since folded into fragrant wood and spice, dry and structured rather than sweet. Bottled at 45.3%, it stays balanced and approachable in strength despite its age. A benchmark old Neisson and a contemplative pour for those who want to see how far French-island rum can travel with time.