Rhum night
Last night we went for a soirèe at le Jardin des Tonnelles - a favourite restaurant of ours in Bar-Sur-Seine.
They were hosting a rum tasting that was organised by ‘l’instant gourmet’, which is a lovely little shop, also in Bar-sur-Seine, where we buy our coffee beans. They also have various tasty treats which often tempt us, such as chocolates, chutneys, oils, vinegars, pasta, tea, biscuits and, of course, wines and spirits. They also prepare gorgeous looking hampers as gifts, selecting an assortment of scrumptious items from their shop.
I’d seen an advert for the rum evening on l’instant gourmet’s Instagram and had mentioned it to Brian whilst I was in the UK. So as a surprise he’d bought us a couple of tickets.
We got to try five rums on the night, which were paired with delicious morsels prepared by the restaurant.
It was a really enjoyable and informative evening, and we came away purchasing the Botran 18, a very moorish rum from Guatemala. If you would like to see our tasting notes for all five rums they are at the bottom of this blog.
TASTING NOTES
White Rum from Martinique – Bête à feu, 2 years
This had notes of truffle and banana, which didn’t really suit either of our palates, it was also 60°proof, so very strong. I kind of felt it was like a headache in a glass. We both agreed not one for us.
The second one was from the isle of Maurice – Chamarel VSOP
This had spent 4 years in the barrel and was a gorgeous amber colour. Initially on the nose you could smell coffee beans and honeyed caramel. The taste was warm and more rounded with a touch of caramel. It had a long and smooth taste. We found out that it was matured in Fût de chene - old cognac barrels, which gave it a hint of vanilla.
It felt like a summer Rum.
The third rum was Mc Explorer – 7 years
5 years in bourbon barrels then two years in a port barrel. Unlike the first two, which were 100% sugar cane, this one was a combination of two styles, French and English – which are made from molasses and sugar cane.
You could definitely taste the sweetness of the port, with toffee and almonds shining through. It also had a mild red tinge to it. It was super smooth, with a light burn, and malty after taste.
A winter or Christmas rum.
Then we tried Botran 18 – which followed the solera process, a process of moving the rum through stacked barrels
This was a golden amber colour, with a light aroma, a rum from Guatemala. We both thought it had a very well rounded flavour, full of Cocoa and honeycomb, with a much sweeter vanilla taste. It was aged in 4 different types of casks - bourbon, toasted bourbon, sherry and port. It was a combination of tastes we both enjoyed.
We felt this could be enjoyed as a very warming winter tipple.
Finally, we tried a Peruvian rum – La Maison du Rhum, the 4th batch of the year.
This had been laid in bourbon barrels for ten years, and was 48°. It really was quite a complex flavour of vanilla, chocolate and caramel, with a warm long finish. And once again had a very round smooth finish.