It all began when I found a bottle of Rhum J.M. on close-out at the pittance of just $12.95. We were just about to review this rare find when I realized we also had bottles of Clement's Premiere Canne, and to my amazement - one of Rhum Barbancourt White. After a awhile and having purchased so many bottles of rum for current and future review, you sometimes forget what you actually have. A nice problem, eh?From the bottle: Rhum Barbancourt is a distinctly unique rum, pot stilled from 100% pure cane sugar juice... 43% (86 proof) abv.
So our intentions immediately shifted gears to what we all should do anyway - a nice horizontal tasting of three blanco cane juice rums. Of course - or maybe not - we began with the Barbancourt, ergo...
Sue Sea:
Me:I have come to appreciate fine and pure rums, and over time I've come to especially love fine cane juice rums. Of course these are pure, free from hidden additives and flavorings. Actually, this may be the reason so many rum drinking, sweet toothed Americans have yet to come to appreciate them. Rhum Barbancourt Five Star is widely appreciated and a good entry, but perhaps even better (and more canelike) may be the Rhum Barbancourt White.
Rhum Barbancourt White comes appropriately in an ordinary but very classic embossed bottle showing its crystalline clear contents, and carrying Barbancourt's now classic carved corner label featuring the Barbancourt star and a cluster of past international awards. All well represent the Gardiere family's uninterrupted history of making rum in the French tradition from 1862. It is really true that fine quality does not require marketing glitz. Real quality speaks for itself over time.
Rhum Barbancourt White opens with a light and floral sweet anise/fennel over an underlying bed of fresh cane. The early palate is completely consistent and carries the anise forward as the middle palate is dominated by a sweeter black licorice and a lovely growing warmth. This too smoothly transitions to a surprisingly long glowing licorice and white pepper finish and aftertaste.
Sweet to heat is a common theme among fine rums, and Rhum Barbancourt White has it in spades. To me this rum will be very refreshing on the rocks for all, and sipped neat by those who appreciate fine young make. It will work before or after dinner, and would be a great match with Asian and Thai foods (think a fine, fine Sake).
It is romantic, sophistcate, smooth and enticing, and very well balanced. It is hard to believe this is a new make - it is a credit to Barbancourt's pot stilling expertise.
Rhum Barbancourt White presents as clear but not brilliant with pearl necklace after twirl, and suprisingly, a very thin, light green edge. "Like a silver bracelet" as Sue Sea so well puts it. It noses with a beautiful, sophisticated and brilliant sweet cane, noticeably less vegetal than the column stilled AOC offerings. Lovely with the cane evident but well integrated as a background element. The opening palate is a light floral honey with surprising body, totally consistent with the nose and building to a warm licorice and white pepper finish.
In sum this is an absolutely sippable blanco, and need not be hidden in a Ti Punch (where it will also do very, very well). That this white cane juice offering is widely available for about $14 is amazing. Barbancourt could easily double or even triple this price. This is a brilliant rum from a brilliant and dependable family of long experience. Bravo!
Score (ten is best): very solid 8. A Best Buy.