Saint James Nectar du maître de chai

From Saint James, Martinique's historic agricole house, this Nectar du maitre de chai is a flavoured, sweetened rum built on the distillery's aged cane-juice rum. Macerated prunes and Bourbon vanilla are added, and the result is heavily dosed with sugar, around 100 grams per litre, so this is firmly a liqueur-style pour rather than a dry AOC agricole.

Expect a rich, dessert-like profile: vanilla, caramel and dark prune, woody underneath but with the oak largely hidden by sweetness. It is very sweet and round, soft at 40% and built for easy sipping. Treat it honestly for what it is, a comforting digestif to take neat or over ice after dinner, rather than a rum to judge against Martinique's dry vieux tradition. Those expecting a classic agricole will find it far too sugary.