If it comes to Rhum Agricole, you shouldn’t be surprised that I think that Habitation Clément is the best in the game. You can read more about their history and all of the wonderful things that they are doing in a previous write up I did here. So, when I found out that I was going to be able to get my hands on a single barrel selection of one of their rhums, I became all the more excited. Even if the same framework for the Rhum J.M. barrel picks applied to this as well.
Much like the standard Barrel Select from Clément; this single barrel bottled for Binny’s Beverage Depot was aged just over three years in heavily charred ex-bourbon barrels. One unique that sets it apart, however, is that this is the first time that Clement has bottled their rhum at 56.6% abv.
NOTEWORTHY
• Bottled Exclusively for Binny’s Beverage Depot
• Cask No. 20070050 or 50
• Bottle No. 146/352
• Type of Wood: Ex-Bourbon Barrel
• Distilled: 01/02/2015
• Bottled: 03/04/2018
COLOR
Gorgeous copper sheen with orange highlights and auburn core.
NOSE
Warm and robust with familiar aromas of dried sugarcane grass and herbaceous. It is quickly overrun with the warm sting of raw ginger and strong tannic oak. It softens to oily lemon and tangerine peel with a pop of menthol cherry cough syrup.
PALATE
The first sip coats the palate with the rich, creamy sweetness of cane syrup. The sweetness is short lived and takes on a leatherier character with starchy banana flavors accented by sweet Thai basil and dark chocolate.
MOUTHFEEL
Similar to the initial flavors; it is rich and slightly syrupy before becoming hot and dry.
FINISH
The higher proof really allows this rhum to sing on the finish. As the sweet herbal and fruit character fades; vibrant flavors of wintergreen and white pepper prickle your tongue with soft green anise. From there it lingers with long notes of red and yellow Virginia pipe tobacco.
OVERALL
While not a complex rhum; as I stated earlier, it is warm and robust. The higher alcohol and brighter accent notes make this a really wonderful cocktail rhum and something easier to sip on during the colder months of the year. Personally, I feel that this deserves more creativity and effort than something like a simple Ti Punch or R(h)um Old Fashioned. I have found that it works particularly well in a Mai Tai in a 1:1 ratio Clement and Rum-Bar Gold Jamaican Rum from Worthy Park.
- 1oz Binny’s Handpicked Clément Cask Collection
- 1 oz. Rum-Bar Gold Jamaica Rum
- ½ oz. Clément Créole Shrubb
- ½ oz. Clément Sirop de Canne
- 1 oz. fresh lime juice (reserve ½ lime shell for garnish)
- ½ oz. orgeat syrup
Shake ingredients together without ice. Strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with spent lime shell and mint sprig.
