Neisson Vieux Rhum Agricole Martinique: A Complex and Austere Rum with a Strong Aromatic Punch
Neisson Vieux Rhum Agricole Martinique is a hard and pure distillate, austere, with a cheeky, elegant, but very dry look, and an incredible aromatic strength, even though it’s hard to call it soft and velvety.
But be careful; this is its main advantage.
It is a large, sumptuous dark rum, but it is the ancestral call of the cane that dominates. The fruit is sunny and syrupy, but never lets itself go to the plump notes and flavors.
This does not mean that it is not pleasant; in fact, quite the opposite. It’s just that you have to forget about honeyed and pleasant rums and get ready for a different gustatory impact. More complex, more layered, but also less sherried, with date jam popping from every pore.
How it is produced
The cane is grown under organic management in the northern part of the island of Martinique, in the locality of Le Cabret. The only place besides Haiti where the legendary Cristalline is still grown, though not very productively but with a strong scent.
The cane is crushed, and the juice ferments very slowly to favor the development of herbaceous and subtle aromas and flavors.
After distillation, the rum undergoes two distinct refinements of three and nine years: it rests both in French oak and in American oak barrels used for the production of Bourbon.
Forget about any trace of sherry; the fruit is anything but soft and pleasing.
Organoleptic characteristics
Mahogany color, tending towards an oasis date, with shades of wild dog butterfly wing Severe and balsamic nose, woody and peppery, full of green and floral references. Sweet and honeyed fruit, streaked with orange peel, and peaches in syrup. Overall, he is imaginative, contemptuous, and harsh, not inclined to flattery. persistent, but not vulgar.
On the tongue, it is warm, full, but smooth, with a thunderous vegetal vigor that drives it. It’s green and juicy; the fruit is also sharp and tastes like forest and flowers, not so much like red fruit or syrup.
It has flavor, tension, severity, and strength, and it doesn’t care about being fat or curvy to make people happy. It is not rum trivialized by wood, but rather the wood has managed to sculpt all the alcoholic fire, channeling it into a complex and enjoyable aromatic progression.
It’s not a soft distillate, but that doesn’t mean it’s rude or less satisfying; quite the opposite: we learn to cleanse the palate to return to a more primordial and dry taste.
Price
70-75 euros: a more than fair price to pay for a good product.
Pairings
It goes well with chocolate, grilled meat, and smooth, creamy desserts because of its body, pepper, and good alcohol thickness. Try it with apple pie, trifle, chocolate salami, and chocolate brownies.