Back tonight on the traditional vintage of the famous Facebook group bringing together more than 36,000 rum lovers, La Confrérie du Rhum. For those who don’t know, I will present the Saint James 2003 cask strenght !
Like every year for several times now, Benoît Bail and Jerry Gitany have selected a tribute to La Confrérie in a renowned distillery … and for 2019, it is at Saint James in Martinique that they stopped.
From these selections, a blend of several barrels of juice dating from 2003 will have emerged, and this without reduction.
This rum is therefore 15 years old, and has a 59% title for 950 bottles offered at a very nice price for a juice so old.
Color
Very dark mahogany rum, greatly marked by the 15 years of barrels.
Nez
We are clearly at Saint James with rather marked empyreumatic notes. It smells of wood, ash, mocha, tobacco but not only …
Indeed, with aeration, something more fruity will appear, cherry, blood orange and tropical fruits such as bananas. The fruits are hot, limit candied and greedy
The polish, wax and spices such as nutmeg, pepper and vanilla complete this very enchanting nose.
Behind the very raw side of this Saint James, beautiful, more fragrant things therefore enrich this tasting over time.
Alcohol is present, the 59% need time to dissipate, but tasting also rhymes with … uh patience in the end, right? 😅
Palate
Quite marked by the wood, the first thing that strikes you is this bitter dark chocolate and tobacco … then come back the fruits detected on the nose and this brandy side of wild morello cherries and apples.
The mocha, spices, leather, brown sugar, fruit, oak, roasted notes and vanilla still remind us that we have to do with an old Saint James raw barrel … but behind this heaviness, there there is a very fresh and fruity side
The finish is very sustained, with woody, chocolate, liquorice and slightly fruity notes.
As for the nose, you should not taste this rum with too much passion, it remains a cask strenght all the same and it heats up a little … without it being disturbing but it is clearly not a rum for beginners!
Price
95€
Conclusion
Before going any further, I would like to point out for lovers of conspiracy theses that I received this bottle as a gift, being moderator from the same group.
As explained a while ago, the aromatic notes don’t change according to the budget, so everything that is told in this article is obviously honest … So yes it’s stupid but it must be reminded from time to time to some who like looking for noon to two o’clock.
Did I like this rum? Oh yes, despite the strong woody connotation, this rum is a very beautiful rum with which you will spend beautiful moments of tasting … the nose being a great moment!
But beware, this is a very complex rum, you will really have to take your time and it will give it back …
In addition, for less than 100 €, it remains personally a crazy price given the pedigree and the quality of the whole.
Score
90/100
