Rhum J.M Single Barrel (Foundations) 2014

Rhum J.M, distilling since 1845 in the far-north Mont Pelée terroir and one of Martinique's most prized agricole houses, bottles this Foundations single barrel, a 2014 AOC rum nine years old at cask strength, 54.8% and unsweetened. It is a drier, woodier counterpart to the house's fruitier single barrels.

Pressed from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled on a creole column kept low to preserve the vegetal congeners, it spends nine tropical years in ex-bourbon oak, where the heat concentrates the spirit beyond its age. The nose carries spice, wood, fruit and vanilla, the palate turns woody and spicy with orange and a vegetal edge, and the finish brings wood, orange, nutmeg and dried fruit. The grassy cane DNA holds beneath the oak, drier and more concentrated than the lower-proof J.M expressions. A highly regarded, unsweetened pour for drinkers who like their agricole punchy, woody and full of character.