Saint James Recolté 1976

Saint James has distilled in Martinique since 1765, and this Recolté 1976 is a vintage from one of the house's celebrated harvest years. Made from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice and bottled unsweetened at 44%, it shows how far decades of ageing and bottle time can carry an agricole beyond the usual grassy template.

The defining feature here is fruit, and a lot of it. The aroma leads on ripe strawberry, sour cherry and a soft custard sweetness with a thread of coconut, while the palate brings coffee alongside tart cherry and more strawberry. The finish keeps that cherry and strawberry character going with a final lift of lime. The unmistakable Saint James signature sits underneath an unusually intense fruit profile, making this a special and rather singular bottle from the distillery's archive.