Romdeluxe Poisson (Pueblo del Ron Nürnberg 2024) 2018

Bottled by the Danish house RomDeluxe, known for high-strength, characterful single casks, this Poisson release for a German rum festival is a 2018 Marie-Galante agricole from the Père Labat distillery, five years old at cask strength, 63.1% and unsweetened. It is a divisive, cask-driven bottling built for experienced drinkers.

Pressed from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled on a creole column run low to preserve the vegetal congeners, it matures in a sherry cask that leaves a strong mark. The nose is intense and woody with fruit, sherry and cherry, the palate stays dry and woody with sherry and fruit, and the finish carries sherry, herbal and vegetal Guadeloupe notes. The typical grassy, grisly Père Labat character pushes through beneath the cask, and the finish is the point of contention for some. At 63.1% many will add water to balance it. Certified unsweetened, it is a bold, dry sherry twist on classic grassy agricole.