Velier Neisson Velier 70th Anniversary 2007

Neisson is a small, much admired family distillery in Martinique, and this 2007 was bottled by Velier, the most respected name in collectible rum, for the bottler's seventieth anniversary. As a Martinique agricole it is made from fresh pressed sugar cane juice under the island's AOC, aged ten years and bottled at full cask strength of 58.1%, additive free as both house and bottler insist.

Ten years of tropical ageing in ex-bourbon oak pushes Neisson into a darker, toastier register than its blancs, with dark chocolate, cinnamon and dried fruit on the nose, nutmeg and toasted nuts on a creamy palate, and polished oak, caramel and a return of sugarcane on a long, spicy finish. It stays dry and structured throughout, the cane character intact beneath the wood. Powerful but balanced, it is a slow sipper for drinkers who already know and trust the Neisson signature.