Trois Rivières 1977

Trois Rivieres traces its estate back to 1660 and has been making rum for well over a century, now distilled at the La Mauny site. This 1977 vintage is an old Martinique agricole, distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice and bottled at 43%, a window onto cane juice rum from decades past.

Given very long maturation, it has settled into a dry, savoury and restrained profile: cappuccino, oak, prunes and orange peel on the nose, a palate of oak, citrus, sugarcane and roasted notes, and a finish that turns salty with coffee and licorice. The agricole character is never in doubt, threading vegetal freshness through the tertiary depth, though it reads more reserved and less overtly fruity than some of its sibling vintages. The gentle strength suits its contemplative nature. A characterful old Martinique rum for drinkers who appreciate aged agricole on the dry, coffee-and-oak side rather than the sweet or fruity end.