Neisson Reserve Speciale

Blonde ambra color.
A not very intens smell of wood,dry fruit,wine,.

For a Martinique vieux agricole, it’s not so bad - surely a costly addition to any US collection, and questionably suitable as such for that alone. But it’s a smooth talker with just a memory of its fiery past as an ardent blanc from 12 years ago. It has been hard to truly like vieux agricoles over 8 yrs, in general; for me, it’s all about that fiery youth that makes this style shine, and so much of that is lost in the adulteration of the spirit during the fût sitting period. It’s certainly a handsome bottle presentation, and a fine selection for your regular whiskey aficionado, but the mellowness just kinda loses me with the hint of sweetness presumably imparted by the charred barrel and a flabbiness associated with middling French red wines.

All said and done, this is a fine example of a vieux agricole in the upper end of the aged spectrum - not a standout, but far better than El Dorado’s equivalent expression.

It's about what I figured from Neisson, it's slightly smoother.

This is a very dry, earthy agricole with strong grass notes. It's a bit rough but still easily sippable neat. Will need to compare with Neisson white.

Very good neat, but not as smooth as I would hope for a rum at this price point.

Aged agricole to me are usually too oaky and tame, losing the freshness that makes blancs so great. This one is a great balance and retains some of that agricole bite to it.

This is my first agricole of any type. Bought it for creating certain tiki drinks. I've tried a sip but need to try again to get a true idea if it's qualities. It certainly was nice in my Three Dots and a Dash.

I’m just starting off down the Martinique rabbit hole and this was my first proper aged bottle I’ve bought. I’ve tried a few others, but this one is the best of them thus far. Really quite smooth, with some bourbon-y notes at first (vanilla, baking spices, etc), but followed by the unmistakable flavor of raw cane and grass. Really nice sipper, especially to introduce people to vieux agricoles.

This is a very dry rum with a great deal of oak. Unmistakably agricole with great character of age - it's worth sitting down and spending time with.

Nose: Old Furniture, Nail Polish Remover, Cantaloupe, Black Pepper, Custard, Vanilla
Palate: Lemonade, Black Pepper, Mint, Star Anise
Aftertaste: Tobacco, Old Furniture, Black Pepper, Marzipan, Lemony mouthfeel but dry

This rum was originally recommended to me by our very own Scott here in my search to track down the profile of a rum that I had been searching for for a long time. That rum ultimately ended up being Barbancourt 15, but Scott's description of this rum definitely made me want to try it despite having located my original target. And I can see why this ru was highly recommended for the profile notes for what ended up being Barbancourt 15. In many respects the rhum is very similar to Barbancourt 15. Both are cane juice rhums long aged in French Limousin oak. Both have the citrus and old furniture notes to them that I absolutely love. Both are very different most aged rums and yet both are extraordinarily smooth sipping rums. But while they share a similar profile, there are some differences.

So to start, this is a Martinique AOC Agricole rum tropically aged between 8-10 years in French Limousin oak and bottled at 42%. Like all AOC Agricoles, it contains no additives.

The nose on this rum is quite pungent and decadent. It is sweet and rich but also spicy. Nosing it from the glencairn I get the smell old furniture much like that found in Barbancourt 15, then a little bit of an acetone smell, which is then washed away by faint notes of Cantaloupe, and stronger notes of Black Pepper, Egg Custard, and light Vanilla. It is a complex mix of sweet, tangy, spicy and almost savory but altogether rich.

On the palate, I get a huge wash of lemonade, indeed so strong that for a brief moment it almost literally tastes like lemonade which gradually fades into notes of Black Peppercorns, Mint and light notes of Star Anise. It reminds me of a Lemonade that someone has spiced with Mint, Star Anise, and a touch of Black pepper and left out for a couple hours and then mixed with brandy - its an interesting and delightful combination. I can absolutely just keep sipping this, no need to put it down.

The finish is also interesting, and nice and also refreshing, but maybe not in way you might traditionally think of. The finish starts with the hint of plug tobacco with hints of old furniture and black pepper which give way to building notes of Marzipan and a lasting lemony mouthfeel. It leaves the mouth feeling light and refreshed with a slight hint of funkiness.

Altogether this rum is somehow fruity and rich and also spicy. It is sweet and decadent like a fine dessert; but also dry and almost tangy with notes of old furniture, marzipan, and lemonade. In many ways it is like a cognac, but it's richer and funkier than any of the cognacs I have had to date. A while back I tried the Neisson Reserve Speciale's younger brother, the Eleve Sous Bois, and my complaint then was that I liked the notes but thought they would do much better with longer aging...and well, that assessment was spot on. With 8-10 years of aging this rum is a rich, intense, decadent, spicy, unique work of art. And it was definitely worth the long wait. I will be enjoying this bottle for a while and will likely stock another.

Short description: Barbancourt 15's eccentric but sophisticated AOC cousin.

Nose: Old Furniture, Nail Polish Remover, Cantaloupe, Black Pepper, Custard, Vanilla
Palate: Lemonade, Black Pepper, Mint, Star Anise
Aftertaste: Tobacco, Old Furniture, Black Pepper, Marzipan, Lemony mouthfeel but dry

Country of Origin; Martinique

ABV: 42%

Final thoughts: Cheers Scott, for finding my definitive aged AOC Agricole of choice. This is an excellent pick.