Post #693834 by AdOrAdam on Tue, Sep 17, 2013 2:46 PM

Good post :) Here's my two cents...

Martinique rhums are a funny bunch - harder to get, more expensive & more 'distinctive' than other styles. Reviews seem to be polarised by people who enjoy them.

As a basis for comparison, I'd compare them to Jamaican rums (ie funky) but with a grassy taste Ive not experienced previously. IMO the 'grassy notes' are what you are seeking to 'control' & 'appreciate' when using this rum. Definately a 'try before you buy' style.

So far I've had Saint James Amber, Trois Riverias Blanc & Clement VSOP.

Saint James Amber is an odd rum IMO. It was my first agricole purchase - I should tried before I bought! The rum tastes fine until all the 'grassy' notes come at once in the after taste (not a good thing), Im not in love with it. With other flavours it's more drinkable, the after taste doesn't diminish much. I do use it in tiki recipes.

Trois Riveras Blanc is like a suped up white rum with grassy notes throughout the flavour (it's preferable to the Saint James Amber because it's not an after taste) It's got real 'tropical fruit notes' IMO, something Id not sensed much before. After I first tried it the flavour stayed on my mind... so I brought some :) The Beachbum Berry tiki recipes mainly call for 'aged Martinique rhum', IMO white agricoles are too funky for balanced tiki recipes, I usually make Ti Punch with it (where the point is that it is funky!)

Clement VSOP is a lot softer than the above two, the grassy notes are present throughout when drank neat but it's more refined. I have tried three times, 1st time I was underwhelmed (it was warmed & tasted like nothing), 2nd more like I have described (room temperature & more interesting), 3rd time was mixed in a $100 mai tai (a real luxury drink).

I make most of my drinks from the jamaican / demerara / puerto rican combos. I only make 4 cocktails with rhum agricoles - Ti Punch, Mai Tai, Three Dots & a Dash, Donga Punch... BUT... maybe I'd have 2/3 bottles of agricoles in my 'ideal collection' because:

I'd need an everyday mixer. Saint James Amber isn't to my taste, Barbancourt 5 star / 8 year is neither Martinique or technically agricole but comes highly recommended as similar in style. Hey ho :)

I've been unable to better the '$100 mai tai' combo to date so I might splash out for the VSOP & Shrubb reserved just for mai tais :)

Ti Punch is a made with unaged white rhum by locals so I'll experiment with a gold / aged rhum but probably stick with their 'traditional' choice :)