Island Exports
If you can’t make it to Martinique, look for these bottles at your local liquor store
The distilleries on Martinique that are fumante—”smoking,” meaning currently producing rhum agricole—bottle hundreds of variations, from basic white to flavored to blends barrel-aged for decades. Although only a fraction of those get exported to the United States, here are a few solid bets to watch for:
Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc:
White rhums, with their firewater bite, are best suited for cocktails, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. Neisson “is the standard for white rhums,” says Christopher Keane, bar manager at Storm Rhum Bar & Bistro, in Asheville, North Carolina. “It’s dry, grassy, and vegetal. It makes the world’s best daiquiri.
Rhum J.M V.S.O.P.:
Is it the three varieties of sugarcane that conjure up the magic? The volcanic spring water trickling off Mont Pelée? The four years in an oak barrel? Hard to say. But the result is a smooth-sipping revelation, with flavors of coffee, clove, chocolate, and tobacco. “I like the combination of brightness and depth,” says rum historian Wayne Curtis. “Although it’s got some years in it, you can still taste the cane fields.
La Favorite Privilège:
Think of this port-like blend of vintages, each aged for at least thirty years, as the Pappy Van Winkle of rhum agricole—coveted, scarce, and priced accordingly (north of $200 a bottle). But a snifter of it—aromatic and lingering in the mouth, with layers of licorice and tobacco—makes any occasion a special one. “It’s deep,” says Christophe Lupon, owner of Martinique’s Le Kano restaurant. “After a good dinner… what else?”
