Clement VSOP 4-Year

A smokey rum that tastes like a whiskey, but after adding some ice tastes more promising.

7,4:On the nose, it is light, the first impression is like we scent Islay whisky, but just for short, because then agricole steps in with Martinique volcanique notes. Fruits (grape and prune) and nuts (hazelnut and almond) are the omnipresent on this nose, when aired a bit. Caramel is also here, as some herbal and woody notes. Becomes dry, some roastedness is here.
7,5:On the palate, there is also fruity, there is grapefruit, and dry with some honey, agricole is mainstay, with Martinique volcanique notes and is flowery, perfumed. A hint of pepper makes some presence, as saltiness and wood. Nicely round and balanced, with minimal acidity.
7,1:The finish is medium, a bit thin and dry, pepper spicy with dried fruits.

This will be a biased review. I've learned this past weekend that agricole style rums just aren't my thing. Having said that, this was one of the better ones that I tried. Grassy notes for sure, but with a bit more complexity. If I absolutely needed an agricole for cocktails, I would not hesitate to use this, but probably wouldn't go out of my way for it either.

Good, fairly smooth. Not particularly grassy to my palette, but easy to drink as a result.

I never buy dark rums this young on purpose… not perfect for sipping but not terrible either! The cane is very prominent.

Part of the 2021 24 days of Rums calendar. Eager to share my experience!

... from Reunion, Martinique and Brazil... I surrender :)

Firstly, that was Sāo Paulo bomb. Coconut, banana on nose. Smooth and fruity, gently sweet palate. Little hogo, mineral and vegetable notes. 1L bottle did not last for long. Used for classic and strawberry caipirinha.

Then two rockets fired: Savanna Creole 52° and Charrette Agricole 50°. Charrette kicks more, Savanna a bit smoother. Both have rich, sensational taste which is, basically, hard to compare to anything else. Naturally sweet, absolutely exotic and "something new under the moon" impression. The best for Ti Punch.

Finally, made two steps on the mines: Clement VSOP and Charrette Amber. Both are aged for 4ys, but feels like they are from different leagues. Cask influence made Clement very creamy, Charrette is watery, more subtle. Liked Charrette more with it's less pronounced cask. Clement is more whiskey like. Wish to have them both at 50...57° strength.

Wanted to taste something from Martinique, but this wasn't the best choice. Way too strong smell and taste, reminded me of some cheaper rums. I don't want to try this one anymore.

A bit salty and can definitely feel the agrumes on the back. Not really sweet

Very interesting - for me this one has qualities of bourbon, scotch, and rum! On the nose, I get very light agricole, but it really smells like a good bourbon to me. Taste, I get a lot of what I get from some highland scotches - citrus, like lemon, a bit of honey, zesty! Woodiness that reminds me of Woodford Reserve Double-Oaked, with hints of vanilla and I think I picked up some cinnamon in there somewhere. For me, the agricole component comes at the end - like very fresh-cut grass, with clove dominating in the finish. Light-medium body, just the right level of sweet. Quite nice.

I bought this for mixing tiki, but yeah - this was a pleasant sipping experience, surprisingly? A very strong 7, almost an 8...Would love to try this at a higher ABV, 40% is a bit low.