A few weeks ago I had the chance to taste some of the tasty varieties from the Rhum Finish brand. Rhum Finish is the brainchild of Alexandre Intriglia. The focus is, as the name suggests, on finishing Rum, with an emphasis on Rhum Agricole. In addition to some blends, Alexandre also uses single distillery Rhums from well-known and renowned brands such as Bielle.
Below you will get an overview of what Rhum Finish let me taste, and my honest findings.
We start with 2 briefly matured varieties: Napoli Small Cask and Sicilia.
Napoli Small Cask
Rhum from 100% sugar cane juice
Origin: Guadeloupe
Maturation: 10 months in small barrels of Bourbon and Cognac
Long rest period in stainless steel barrels
70 bottles of 70cl
ABV: 41%
No additives
This Napoli Small Cask falls under the Rhum paille: Rum with a short maturation that acquires a straw-like yellow color. Due to the use of small barrels, the maturation is more intensive than the 10 months would suggest, but the typical taste of wood and vanilla that you associate with longer-matured Rum is completely missing.
This type of Rum is quite popular within the world of Rhum Agricole drinkers as it is a nice cross between a white Rhum Agricole with all its intensity and fruitiness on the one hand, and a 3-4 year aged Rhum where this fruitiness is often missing. For other Rum drinkers the taste sometimes seems unpleasant. From experience I can say that the limited edition is a good choice given the limited target group.
This Rhum has many notes of grass and resin on the nose. The taste is fresh and slightly spicy with some vegetal, sometimes varnish-like aftertaste.
I can recommend this Rum for people who find a white Rhum Agricole too overwhelming and are looking for a step towards longer maturing. Personally, I think a slightly longer maturation and a slightly higher ABV would have produced a more powerful Rhum, but then it might have missed the mark.
Sicily
Rhum from 100% sugar cane juice
Origin: Martinique
Maturation: 6 months in Bourbon and ex-Rozelieures Whiskey barrels
Long rest in Dame-Jeanne
180 bottles of 70cl
ABV: 42.5%
No additives
This Sicilia also falls under the Rhum paille. It has a light color and therefore a taste profile in which the fruitiness of the unripened Rhum is still present and is added by the very young maturing in the barrel.
Compared to other Rhums within this genre, I noticed that this Sicilia has built up a nice complexity that you will not often find with shorter maturations. Especially the long aftertaste, which is very pleasant and has notes of tropical fruit, is surprising. I think it is a result of the Rozelieures barrels, which also have a similar effect on other brands.
I was pleasantly surprised by this Rhum and I can definitely recommend it for those who are looking for a slightly fresher Rhum Agricole this summer, but are still looking for a matured Rhum. In contrast to the Napoli Small Cask, I would also dare to introduce this Rhum to people who are not really familiar with this genre of Rhum.
Blend De Colonnes
Rhum from 100% sugar cane juice
Origin: Martinique
Maturation: none
Long rest in Dame-Jeanne
50 bottles of 50cl
ABV: 75.5%
No additives
This Blend De Colonnes is just the way we like it here at The Siren's Cove. This is a blend of 2 Column still Rums that were left to rest in a Dame-Jeanne immediately after distillation and then bottled without additives. A brût de colonne, so to speak. It concerns a Rhum of 78.8% and a Rhum of 72.3% that were composed to highlight the powerful flavors of 100% pure sugar cane juice.
This is a powerhouse that is only suitable for true lovers of white Rhum Agricoles and who are not deterred by the high alcohol content.
Expect an exuberant aroma and taste with notes of grass, sugar cane, fresh green herbs and a slight undertone of unripe banana.
Rhums like these are not yet popular with the general public. Often because they have not been matured and are therefore regarded as less qualitative or refined, often also because of their high ABV, but especially because of the relatively high price due to excise duties. Still, I think it's worth giving these types of Rums a chance. Especially because they radiate a purity that you do not often find in a world where additives and colorings sometimes take the upper hand.
Brût De Colonne
Rhum from 100% sugar cane juice
Origin: Guadeloupe - Bielle
Maturation: none
Rests for 24 months in a stainless steel barrel
Long rest in Dame-Jeanne
50 bottles of 50cl
ABV: 78.8%
No additives
Anyone who thought that the Blend De Colonnes was a powerful Rhum will certainly be amazed by this Brût De Colonne. This Rhum from the house of Bielle is powerful, tasty and extremely pleasant for an unaged Rhum of 78.8% ABV. Lovers of Bielle's Rhums will definitely get their money's worth with this one. The combination of freshness, fruitiness and sweetness that can always be found in the Rhums of Bielle comes into its own with this Brût De Colonne. This Brût de Colonne also offers the unique opportunity to taste the absolute base of an aged Bielle Rhum and thus get a better idea of which flavors are already present in the base distillate and which come from barrel maturation. In addition to the typical flavors of sugar cane and grass, flavors of unripe banana and a subtle undertone of caramel emerge. This pure Rhum from Marie Galante is definitely worth discovering. Especially considering its reasonable price.
Unfortunately, you cannot yet purchase these Rhums from us, but be sure to take a look at the Rhum Finish website for more information and prices.
Thank you to Alexandre from Rhum Finish for sending the samples.
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