Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc White Rum 50%

Wow. Just wow. My first agricole and it’s a game changer. Without any reference point amongst other rhum agricoles, all I can say is the grassy, funky, altogether-different-from-a-Spanish-or-English-style-rum flavors have me hooked and coming back for more. Throw a bit of this in a daiquiri or mai tai, and you’ll never go back! And a classic Ti’ Punch was delicious, too. Highly recommend.

The aroma is the characteristic sugary grass of agricole blanc, with a sharp aspect to it, perhaps a bit of lime. The taste barely lets you get a taste of sugarcane goodness before quickly hitting you with that tart lime, then sort of blurs out into a hot finish. Apparently those in the know prefer this to Clement and La Favorite, but I think to the layman's palate they're pretty similar. I compared this side by side with La Favorite and could notice the taste and aroma on this are "sharper", more of that tart lime compared to a somewhat "softer", banana-esque aroma with La Fav. My recollection is I liked the Clement Canne Bleue better than either, but it's been a few months since I finished that so I'll have to compare them again. Overall this delivers as an agricole blanc. I find it a little harsher to sip neat than others I've tried, but it's still good, just different. And of course, you can't go wrong with a ti punch. At $32 for the bottle the value is solid.

First rhum agricole tasting. Wow. This stuff is totally off the map I’m used to for rum. Some of it is the lack of age, but most is the fresh-pressed cane style. I think this has more akin to sotol than conventional aged and/or sweeter rums. Mineral. Metallic. Grassy. Salty. Dry. Zesty. Puckers the tongue a bit and leaves a black pepper tingle. Lemongrass. Bell pepper. Cooked carrots. I can almost taste the copper stills and stainless tanks. Unapologetically vegetal, but so intriguing and delicious. Begs for another sip. I like this so much more than I would have predicted. This feels like it takes you back in time to a very authentic product, before E150 and additives, etc. I will need to revisit the sotol to see if the taste buds have evolved on that one for the better. Also excited to try in cocktails, but it’s sippable for the adventurous.