...
Thanks so much for submitting a report. It has been emailed to the Rum Captain and will be actioned shortly.
Have you found an online vendor selling HSE XO Grande Reserve?
Please input the URL directly to the vendor page with the rum for sale and we will automatically show it on RumRatings
Martinique | Agricole | 43% ABV | Column Still (1-4)
Sort by: Popularity | Newest | Oldest | Rating
Nice amber color, very smooth with some notes of tobacco and spices like nutmeg and black pepper.
HSE XO is a very good old agricol rum. I recommand it. the profile is very woody and the alcohol does not burn. the price is a little high for my taste like most old French rums…
Sweet, vanilla, caramel, some burnt sugar, whisky. It's really excellent so it's nitpicky but I prefer less oak/ smoky. There is a sharpess to it where I find it a little excessive but to each his own. If you prefer stronger whisky flavors, then you'll probably find that not to be an issue. Not surprising with an XO. Bought duty free in Martinique in 2022, a set of 3 little 20 cL bottle, including also the VSOP and the 50% Blanc 2016
This is an AOC Rhum Agricole made from blend of rums made fresh pressed sugar cane juice and distilled on a column still. The rums in the blend were then aged exclusively in Limousin oak ex-cognac barrels. Most of the rums in the blend have been aged 10+ years. And purportedly some of the rums in this blend date as far back as 1960, which is frankly a little hard to believe. (But that comes from every source I can find…if someone else knows differently, please feel free to let me know).
In general, as far as aged Rhum Agricole goes, I prefer aging in Limousin casks for a couple reasons. First, I like the black pepper and spice notes it imparts on rums. Secondly, aging in Limousin oak releases more ellagic acid and associated tannins which are heavily anti-oxidant…so health!
That out of the way is this going to be my aged Agricole of choice?
On the nose first I get heavy Dark Chocolate. The next note is a bit difficult to describe, but imagine standing in the center of a musty, old Apple Barn and taking a big whiff. Next come Dark Cherries, old Leather, and slight Toffee. Behind that is the aroma of Mossy Rocks near a stream and a slightly bitter Tangerine Peel note.
Taking a sip throw all of the Nose notes out the window. I get a big ole mouthful of cracked black pepper and cognac. There is the Limousin oak talking. But hey the Dark Chocolate shows back up and with it a mouthful of Shiraz and just the faintest taste of Almonds.
The finish here is powerful and long. It’s overwhelmingly Black Pepper and a rather chest tingling Menthol overlayed with Peppermint and Smoke.
Overall this rum is good. It does get a little better as it goes along. I can definitely see what they are going for. There are a few notes in there that are fascinating, such as the Dark Cholocate and Smoky notes. However, the rum doesn’t especially blow me away. I kept going back to it to see if I could find some sort of rich fruit or even confectionary notes and there just aren’t any. This rum is extremely earthy and umami. Even the Dark Chocolate notes reference the bitter unsweetened kind. If richly earthy and musty is your thing, you will like this.
To me, while I can appreciate the profile they are aiming for, it comes across as a bit too lackluster for my preferences. Neisson Reserve Speciale continues to be the far superior option in this category to my tastes. It should still work excellently in my cocktails requiring aged Rhum Agricole.
Short Description: Sugarcane Cognac aged in smoked barrels that previously contained raw chocolate sitting in a musty warehouse
ABV: 43%
Country of Origin: Martinique
Distillery: Habitation Saint-Etienne
Nose: Dark Chocolate, Musty Apple Barn, Black Cherries, old Leather, Toffee, Mossy Rocks, Tangerine Peel
Palate: Cracked Black Pepper, Cognac, Dark Chocolate, Shiraz, faint Almonds
Finish: Cracked Black Pepper, Menthol, Peppermint, Smoke
Final Thoughts: For true Agricole lovers, I imagine this could be quite a treat. And in some respects it’s pretty good, but it lacks intensity in its notes beyond the black pepper of the Limousin oak aging. I can definitely see what they are going for, but this specific balance just doesn’t pop for me.
To start with the bottle, when you grab it you can imagine yourself on a boat with your pirate crew. Other than that inside this bottle you will find a quick taste of caribean heaven. Let's go directly to the palate and appreciate the sweet sugar juice you can feel on the first sip, also rich vanilla and oak. The more you sip the more you will appreciate it for sure.
Dryer than I thought, but that’s not a bad thing. A bit nutty too I find, xo gives the standard HSE more complexity, nice one…
A me piacciono i rum dolci, questo è particolarmente secco e legnoso, ma ha un bouquet complesso e molto interessante.
Persistenza pazzesca.
Za mňa je VSOP krajší, plnší. Tento XO profilovo veľmi podobný,ale napriek vyššiemu veku bol zjemneny až príliš.
Try to get a well lit shot from the front of the rum label
To import data from CSV or XLSX, we need the following information from you. Please provide the necessary file format and column mappings. Take a look at an example too!
A header row is required, but your file doesn't need to be in any particular order. We'll use the columns to find the information.
Add RumRatings to your home screen for quicker access. All you have to do is click the icon and then Add to Home Screen
Agressif odeur de dissolvant, en bouche ces Sec, piquant, poivree, un rhum fort a boire qui demande conaissance, dans la pure lignee des rhums martiniquais.