Trois Rivieres 1998 Single Missouri Cask Rum

N:  Noticeable bourbon character compared with the others in this range. Vanilla and seasoned wood, spiced apples, natural caramel, toffee apples. Dried orange peel, old leather sofas, grilled peppers, apple sauce with cinnamon, cream soda.

P:  Bourbony again, with a distinct hint of menthol, fruit compote and plenty of fresh oak spice.  Some quite exotic fruit emerges on second tasting, with hints of apricot, tinned mango and pineapple chunks (the sweets, not the fruit).   Easily the most complex array of flavours in the range.  Pretty dramatic, with a real sense of integration.

F:  Impressive length.  The flavours remain perfectly balanced and intermingled, with the trademark pepper and spice remaining on the tastebuds.

Comment:  Trois Rivieres is unmistakable – if you know it’s rum you’re drinking.  The spices that characterise the distillery’s aged output could easily tempt a blind taster into thinking they’re drinking a long-aged Cognac, or, as in this case, a very elegant, complex bourbon.  The peppery character is one constant in this frequently deceptive distillery’s profile.

Color: Light, Bright golden colour

Nose : Full, pleasing and complex, the rich primary aromas are replaced by discreet yeasty touches, followed by successive nuances of ripe fruit and gingerbread

Palate : Intense, bracing and textured, expressing all the features of a Trois Rivières Rum. The initial flavours are marked by the powerful primary peppery flavours which blend, mid-palate, with refined hints of dried fruit, orange and marmalade intermingled with spicy flavours.

Finish: A long, aromatic finish with mellow touches of oak and toffee.

Conclusion: This unique, intense, warm product comes with a captivating balance. A firmly textured rum but at the same time soft, complex and expressive without any unnecessary exuberance.