Rhum Barbancourt Estate Reserve 15 Year Old Rum

Rhum (French for Rum) Barbancourt is both distilled and bottled by Societe du Rhum Barbancourt,in Port Au Prince, on the Isle of Haiti. Founded in 1862, by Dupr Barbancourt, the company has been passed down through generations. The French spelling for for this Caribbean elixir may be off by one letter, However, the differences between Rhum and Rum are much more complex than this small grammatical twist. The rum making traditions of the French West Indies, differ greatly from the rum traditions of the other colonized Caribbean countries. A key difference in Rhum Agricole production is that it is distilled only once, to 70 percent ABV, from sugar cane juice as opposed to fermented molasses. Then it is brought down to bottling proof.Rhum Barbancourt does things even more differently; they distill their rhum twice, to 90 percent ABV, after which it is reduced to about 50 percent, before being aged in a combination of large oak vats and smaller barrels. The Rhum Barbancout Estate Reserve is finally bottled at 43 percent ABV.Initially distilled and reserved only for Barbancourt family and friends, it was eventually released for public sale for the first time ever in the mid 1960s, gaining much noteriety.The flavors of this rum are very similar on the nose as they are in the glass, with butterscotch and toffee flavors accented by sandal wood and French Limousin oak. As a 15-year-old spirit, the more oaky notes that are to be expected in the flavor, are less prominent due to the use of large wooden vats to age a portion of the rhum. These large vats allow less interaction with the oak. Also on the palate are flavors of rich fruit and baking spices. Caramelized brown sugars, and a dash of spices like cloves and cinnamon, with some marmalade and marzipan, and even a light smokiness of dark tobacco are all present.Pick up a bottle of this special rhum today!