The New York Times has long been considered the English voice of America. It makes you wonder why then, Eric Asimov in his recent article "Savoring Rum, Fresh from the Cane" then persists in calling cane juice rum "rhum agricole". Or why he then makes a boneheaded claim that Only rum from the French West Indies (mostly from Martinique) can be called rhum agricole."! Heavens, why?
Simple. It's from the Preacher - who simply ignores cane juice rums from Haiti, Guyana, Trinidad, Panama and other countries outside his favored Martinique offerings.
Here's a bit of history. The Promoter Preacher once had a very close relationship with New Yorker F. Paul Pacult - a dominating voice in spirits reviews - and managed to convince him that "rum agricoles" were the next big thing. Pacult even committed himself in writing to that prediction. All Pacult's many other successes and contributions notwithstanding...
He blew it. Big time.
"Rhum agricole" never really took off, with the possible exception of the world class Barbancourt cane juice rums, which consistently outscored and outsold the Preacher's puny offerings, not to mention the most of the rest of the insanely overpriced Martinique's AOC labeled cane juice products. Still the Preacher turned historical fact on its head by promoting the nutty idea that Martinique's invented marque, "Rhum Agricole AOC Martinique" defined cane juice rums.
Never you mind that this invented label was created around 1996, while "rhum agricole" was in common use for the preceeding 200 years. In fact "rhum agricole" was first applied derogatorily to Haiti's cane juice "clarin".
The truth:
"Rhum Agricole AOC Martinique" is a local and modern subset of the term, not the reverse, and in no way defines other cane juice rums. Compare it to WIRSPA's failed scheme wherein they attempted to define "Authentic Caribbean Rum" as only the relatively few British countries who belonged to their organization.
Both were attempts at marketing protectionism, and both were miserable failures. The proper English term is "cane juice rums".
Back to the Future...
So here we are at Eric Asimov's article wherein he misdefines "rhum agricole", then proceeds to evaluate 14 cane juice rums. Attempting to be fair he includes a couple of cane juice cachacas and - drum roll - Barbancourt's entry level Three Star. And what other rums - rim shot - does he evaluate?
Notice anything? Yup, five of the ten "winners" are small-time, relatively unavailable Martinique AOC-branded cane juice rums repped by "Caribbean Spirits" , the Preacher's hobby business. I smell a set-up. Not only does this selection ignore Barbancourt's best, not only does it include cachacas - it fails to include Martinique's best (and more available) offerings.Eric Asimov Tasting Report:
La Favorite Martinique Rhum, $38, ****
Agricole Ambré, 50%, 1 liter
Complex, dry, pure and beautifully balanced with lingering flavors of fruit, butter, sugar cane, spices and minerals. (Caribbean Spirits, Chicago)
Duquesne Martinique, $30, ***
Rhum Agricole Blanc, 50%, 1 liter
Potent, primal and in your face, with complex grassy, briny and vegetal flavors. (Caribbean Spirits)
Clément Martinique Rhum, $35, ***
Agricole V.S.O.P., 40%, 750 milliliters
Elegant and spicy, with long-lasting flavors of coconut, apple and earth. (Rhum Clément U.S.A./M.H.W., Manhasset, N.Y.)
BEST VALUE
Barbancourt Three Star, $21, ***
Haiti Rhum, 43%, 750 milliliters
Dry, tangy and complex, with flavors of spices, iron and butter. (Crillon Importers, Paramus, N.J.)
Fazenda Brazil Cachaca, $26, ***
Mae de Ouro, 40%, 1 liter
Lovely and gentle, with an aroma of sweet vanilla and fresh bread. (U.S.A. Wine Imports, New York)
La Favorite Martinique Rhum, $29, ***
Agricole Blanc, 50%, 1 liter
Essence of sugar cane, with round, sweet, earthy, vegetal flavors. (Caribbean Spirits)
Neisson Martinique Rhum, $34, ***
Agricole Blanc, 50%, 1 liter
Full-bodied and fruity, with apricot and grassy aromas. (Caribbean Spirits)
Duquesne Martinique Rhum Agricole, $35, ** ½
Élevé Sous Bois, 40%, 1 liter
Mellow aromas of spices, honey and wax, with a lingering sweetness. (Caribbean Spirits)
Sagatiba Brazil, $23, ** ½
Cachaca Pura, 40%, 750 milliliters
Sweet and mellow with aromas of pecan praline and chocolate. (Sagatiba, Manhasset, N.Y.)
Clément Martinique Rhum, $30, **
Agricole Blanc, 50%, 750 milliliters
Clean, floral aromas, with straightforward flavors of butter, sugar cane and fruit. (Rhum Clément U.S.A./M.H.W.)
What do I think?
The Preacher still maintains his New York connections, and is still spreading his mucky monkey version of cane juice reality. Winning half of the ten ratings reported (above) is no accident. That's called marketing and promotion. Eliminate or minimize the weaker of your competition, make sure your rums are overrepresented and, uh, you win.
Surprised? You shouldn't be.
How bout those scores?
Here's where it gets interesting. What's meaningful is not which cane juice rum won (the Preacher's La Favorite), but the non-shilled rums that scored very highly.
Barbancourt's entry level Three Star came in fourth, and two cachacas - Sagatiba and Fazenda - also scored in the top ten. That three lesser offerings from Brazil and Haiti scored 9th, 5th and 4th respectively (with Barbancourt getting the "Best Value" designation simply confirms what the market already knows.
Martinique's grossly overpriced and premiumized offerings are nearly bested by second tier and very affordable offerings from Barbancourt, and unbelievably - by young and nearly unaged cachacas.
Either Eric Asimov doesn't have a clue, or he was too busy tossing down the Preacher's favorite offerings over lunch. Why top-rated offerings from Martinique, Haiti and Brazil were excluded is beyond me. Any idiot knows that if Barbancourt's Three Star came in fourth, the far superior Five Star (also a best buy) would have dominated. But what do I know...
I'm just a Compleat Idiot...
*******
(Link to Assimov's Article)
Aside: I recently ran across, and commented on a "review" of Abuelo's Centurio at Forbes. The "review" consisted of just two words (I'm serious!), snuggled safely within a blizzard of general misinformation promoting Zacapa, et al - a total puff piece.
Can anyone tell me why prestige publications provide by far, the poorest coverage of spirits?
