Rhum Barbancourt 5 Star 8 Year

I really like this rum a lot. It has the grassy funk of an agricole with pleasant sweet notes of banana and molasses. I enjoy this one both neat and in cocktails. Try it in a simple pina colada - rhum, coconut cream, fresh pineapple juice shaken with ice and strained into a rocks glass over ice. Also nice when used in a Mai Tai paired with Appleton 12 year.

Nose: Some lovely gentle oak to start with and as the Distiller summary note says, "woody" is the key here. Some caramel and if it was a whisky I'd even say vegetal or mineral notes - it's not unlike a whisky "maritime" style nose. Palate: Sweet and punchy, with a warm arrival that turns spicy with ginger and hot cinnamon and lingers right through into the finish. Some typical agricole grassy notes appear in the development. There's a little bit of orange oil or bitter marmalade and sour nuttiness (Brazil nut? walnuts?) and complex herbal sugars along with an ashy component. Finish: Medium/short. The sweetness of the palate fades into a dry and spicy finish with some tannin and lingering bitter chocolate. A good sipping rum, not the deepest experience but more than just a mixing spirit - it's certainly a rum that could change your mind if you're not typically a fan of rhums agricole. Very enjoyable but lacking the complexity that would earn it 4 stars. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)