bigwhitemike
Rhum J.M Agricole Blanc White Rum 50%
Rhum Agricole Blanc — Martinique
Reviewed
January 31, 2020 (edited February 8, 2024)
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.
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@cascode thank you for clarifying, that makes sense.
@bigwhitemike "AOC Martinique rhum agricole" is a protected designation that some rum from that island can have on the label, and it's the only AOC for rum. Rhum agricole is not a protected term but it's not used much by non-French producers, who generally use the term cane-juice spirit.
@bigwhitemike I don't know... I'm generally less familiar with rum regulations. But I suspect @cascode will know. Thanks for the info about the Rhum J.M. I like both mezcal and whiskey, so I'll see if I can give both a try.
@jonwilkinson7309 @cascode Am I wrong to think that officially rhum agricole is a "protected" marque for the French territories (i.e. Martinique), or perhaps that is just for the official DOC but other products could use the term "agricole" if they so chose so long as the import country permitted it? I found this unaged blanc J.M more adventurous, but the Clement VSOP vieux (aged) I tasted had barrel notes which made it more familiar for whiskey drinkers and might be an easier transition. If you're down with mezcal the unaged stuff won't shock you tho. J.M is the most available around me, Clement second, and I haven't seen much else.
Most of what I've tasted has come from Martinique, including J.M., Clément, Depaz and Saint-James. There are some from Gudaloupe but I'm not familiar with them. Haiti produces Barbancourt Rhum (which I like but some critics don' t) it's a sort of agricole but a bit sweeter. I'd say in general that if you can find anything from Martinique then try it. It's unlikely you'll go wrong.
Nice review! @cascode, any recommendations for good introductions to rhum agricole?
Brilliant review, my friend! You "get" rhums agricole, I can see :-) It's a whole different world of rum, n'est pas?