Welcome to the Comptoir des Innovations, the den of rum connoisseurs who have understood that the only acceptable queue is the one for ordering a glass! Here, you can explore a world of flavors under the guidance of the excellent (!) Excellence Rhum, the wine merchant whose advice is as sharp as his sense of rhythm.

Laurent Cuvier presents the references.

RHUM J.M JUSTE MACOUBA – RHUM BLANC AGRICOLE BIO RÉCOLTE 2022 

The first BIO-certified rum from the Fonds-Préville distillery

For many years, J.M has been committed to rum production that combines know-how and sustainability. Here, the brand delivers an organic rum from its 2022 harvest of blue cane. After 9 months of brewing and reduction, it reaches its full alcohol content, for a rum that will be ideal in ti-punch and why not in a revisited daiquiri?

It greets us with an expansive, fresh nose. There’s no doubting its nature, so much so that the cane juice – both vegetal and fruity – marks its territory, well supported by the lime and its zest. The attack, both lively and suave, coaxes and jostles us into a fine balance where a pinch of pepper adds a new aromatic framework. The finish is distinguished by a duo of herbs and pepper, which carries it for a long time.

(70 cl, 52.1%) – approx. 40 € – Distribution : Spiribam Cartron Distribution

RHUMS BRIN – L’ORIGINAL PUR CBD 

Patented arrangements with a unique visual

The idea behind the creation of the L’Original range was twofold: to combine CBD flower with Réunion Island rum, but also to offer an aesthetic innovation, namely the use of edible flakes that literally make the liquid sparkle, without affecting its taste or texture. And of course, the use of CBD is purely gustatory, with 0.0% THC.

It immediately stands out for its atypical profile; the combination of Reunion Island rum and CBD works, giving it vegetal and fruity aromas (citrus, apple). Concentration goes up a notch on the palate, where the infusion of the flower transmits its aromas even further. These are supported by sugar and power – well dosed. The finish is marked by a whiff of CBD, which leaves a lasting impression on the palate.

(50 cl, 33%) – approx. 39 € – Distribution: Rhums Brin

RHUM LONGUETEAU x EXCELLENCE RHUM – RHUM BLANC AGRICOLE CANNE ROUGE 

A new alcoholic percentage for the Capesterre-Belle-Eau distillery

The quality of Longueteau’s white rums needs no introduction. With this selection by the Excellence Rhum team, however, it’s necessary to emphasize just how much a Longueteau agricole rum, made from red cane, which has rested for two years after distillation and undergone a measured reduction, can achieve.

Expressive, this first contact is exotic with mango and green banana, but also floral. A veil of ripe cane coats the whole, making it even more enticing. On the palate, the power is perfectly balanced by the enveloping texture and sweet impression. The intensity under the palate doesn’t disappoint, and the sugar cane is revealed in all its deliciousness. This sweetness lingers and accompanies us on the finish.

(70 cl, 64%) – approx. 49 € – Distribution : Excellence Rhum

WORTHY PARK x EXCELLENCE RHUM – SINGLE CASK 2020 

Jamaica meets cane juice

The Worthy Park distillery, founded some 350 years ago, is an expert in double retort pot still distillation.Usually working with molasses, here’s an exception with this cuvée selected by the Excellence Rhum team, since it’s cane juice that has been preferred as the raw material. Add to this four years’ ageing in ex-bourbon barrels in the tropics, and you have a rum that is exceptional in more ways than one.

It’s so expansive, it’s begging to be taken out of the glass.Exuberant, it charms with aromas of almond, butter, olive and cane juice.A medicinal note underpins its personality.Powerful flavors (spicy, woody and fruity) explode, while a marked suavity mellows it out. The (unsurprisingly) interminable finish carries woody and even roasted aromas for plenty of warmth.

(70 cl, 62.58%) – approx. 85 € – Distribution : Excellence Rhum

SAINT JAMES x EXCELLENCE RHUM – BRUT DE FÛT 2006 

No topping or reduction

This is a true concentrate of what the Saint James distillery has to offer. This 2006 vintage, aged 15 years in American oak barrels in Sainte-Marie, Martinique, has only improved over the years in the island’s tropical climate.A fine selection from Excellence Rhum, who offer us here an extremely seductive extra vieux rhum agricole.
The concentration of this rhum agricole literally jumps out at you, and the ageing fully expresses itself, with roasting (cocoa and coffee), spices and camphor.The freshness comes from orange zest, while the greediness is accentuated by a pastry facet at the bottom of the glass.The palate is surprisingly round and fruity, but still concentrated.The long, lingering finish sums up the tasting experience, combining roasting, wood and fruit.

(70 cl, 53.1%) – approx. 119 € – Distribution : Excellence Rhum

CHATEL CRÈME DE RHUM 

En route to a regressive experience

The history of Chatel dates back to 1907, when Jean Chatel decided to found a distillery. Over the years, production focused on arrangés and punches.

It was only more recently that the family business innovated by creating three liqueurs. Among them, this crème de rhum combines Réunion Island rum, milk and cream.

This crème de rhum is resolutely gourmet in style.Vanilla, caramel, milky aromas and, of course, rum define its nose.Full-bodied and smooth, its creamy texture and dessert aromas envelop the palate. The rum, which had been relegated to second place behind the caramel-vanilla pairing, picks up again on the finish and carries the length, accompanied by plenty of roundness.

(70 cl, 17%) – approx. 26.90 € – Distribution : Terroirs Distillers

DOS MADERAS ATLANTIC – 6 ANS 

Double aging across the Atlantic

Although this rum was born in the Caribbean, it is in Europe that it acquires its identity. It is the fruit of a blend of rums from English Guyana and Barbados, both 5 years old.

The liquid created by their union then travels to southern Spain, to Andalusia, where it spends a further year in old Pedro Ximénez sherry casks.

From the outset, it presents a pleasant face dominated by wood, spices and roasted notes. On the palate, it develops further, adding caramelized and even honeyed accents to its repertoire. Texture and smoothness accompany the aromas, helping them to take possession of every nook and cranny of the mouth.The finish, slightly drier, brings the experience to a delightful close with its gourmet woody aromas.

(70 cl, 37.5%) – approx. 37 € – Distribution : Dugas

COLOMA ALEGRIA – 6 ANS 

A tribute to the second happiest country in the world: Colombia

Initially coffee producers, the Constain family gradually turned their attention to rum. By a stroke of luck, they realized that aging their rum in a cask that had contained coffee liqueur gave the precious liquid very flattering notes.

This Alegria first spent 6 years in an ex-bourbon cask before being finished in a cask of coffee liqueur.

While its aromatic framework navigates between vanilla and coffee, it offers a dry and even slightly green impression, which balances this nose very well. An egg cream sprinkled with spices gives it a second level of interpretation. From the outset, smoothness and creaminess occupy the palate, while the vanilla-coffee duo remain firmly planted on their pods and beans until the end of the tasting.

(70 cl, 40%) – approx. 38 € – Distribution : Dugas

ZACAPA LA ARMONIA – HEAVENLY CASK COLLECTION 

The marriage of rum flavours and sherry aromas

The Heavenly Casks collection is made up of casks aged in the heights of Guatemala’s volcanoes (2300 meters above sea level), using the solera method. Lorena Vásquez, Zacapa’s cellar master, wanted to combine these cane honey rums, with their distinctive ageing, with maturation in ex-sherry casks.

Expressive, it offers us plenty of nuts (walnut and hazelnut) that are caramelized in the manner of chouchous. A hint of herbs and a pinch of spices add complexity to the nose. Very homogeneous, this rum stays on this track, the sweetness taking the greediness carried by the caramel-coated nuts up a notch. These players remain on the finish, while a strongly spicy woodiness joins them.

(70 cl, 40%) – approx. 100 € – Distribution : Dugas

BAIE DES TRÉSORS KARAKOLI 2020 

Dry zone and American oak

Baie des Trésors, a young brand from Martinique, is impressing. A superb white rum, wood-aged rums with a strong identity, and for the past two years, their first aged rums. Among them, this Karakoli 2020 (the first was from 2019) confirms the value of working on plot types, combined with different casks and the vintage effect.

Expressive, it is very prolix and complex for its young age. A joyful melting pot of aged aromas assails the nostrils: wood, spices, caramel, roasted coffee, nougat, coconut… The whole is both fresh and concentrated. The perfectly chosen alcoholic percentage carries gourmet aromas, led by caramel and nougat. Concentration lingers on the finish, which is persistent and slightly drying, with spicy, balsamic notes.

(70 cl, 52%) – approx. 63 € – Distribution : Campari France

BAIE DES TRÉSORS BRIN D’AMOUR 2019 

Wetlands and French oak

Four years of maturation in French oak barrels have magnified the round character of the rum from the wetlands. Stéphane Gouyer, the house’s cellar master, gives us the results of years of testing to achieve this balance. The house’s first four-year-old rum, it is the first vintage in a long series, in which we’d love to lose ourselves in comparative tastings.

Round, this 2019 vintage follows a fruity (candied fruit) and vanilla score. Then, in the background, an aromatic bouquet of dry wood, chocolate, spices and dried mango. The lively attack – matched by a certain suavity – positions the rum well before its structure takes shape. The barrel makes its mark, with spices and roasted notes. This duo continues through to the finish, where the tannins leave a pleasant mark on the tongue.

(70 cl, 52.2%) – approx. 79 € – Distribution : Campari France