As a model and/or class grows, one can count on ersatz or substitute merchandise to enter the market. We’re seeing it with horseradish dyed inexperienced to appear to be actual Japanese wasabi. The poorly ready Japanese whisky market’s surprising growth brought about completely different manufacturers to bottle world whisky as “Japanese whisky.”
While not but so well-known and acknowledged as a priority, rhum agricole is dealing with an analogous difficulty. At the moment, the time period agricole can solely be utilized by the French provinces of Martinique, Guadeloupe, Reunion, and French Guiana. The one different non-French territory is Madeira; which is a province of Portugal.
One of many fundamental points is that the time period agricole is barely protected and acknowledged within the EU, that means cane juice-based rum manufacturers produced and bought exterior of the EU can name themselves as agricole and capitalize on its rising reputation. Just a few examples of cane juice-based rum calling themselves agricoles are St. George’s “California Agricole rum” and Rhum Mia from Saigon, Vietnam.
The opposite fundamental difficulty is the market’s poor consciousness of and schooling about rum. As a result of agricole was the one cane juice-based rum for the longest time, shoppers have a tendency to make use of agricole because the catch-all time period for each cane juice-based rum. It’s secure to say that there’s no malice on this; I see this as being just like whisky newbies calling Jack Daniels “Scotch.” Training will repair ignorance.
Let me simply say that the examples I gave aren’t inferior substitutes for agricole. They’re, at worst, pretty much as good as a few of the first rate agricole manufacturers I’ve had. Their borrowing of the time period agricole simply made them ersatz. I’m additionally undecided if St. George nonetheless produces their cane juice rum, because it’s now not on their web site. It’s additionally out of inventory within the US shops I’m acquainted with.
Some have puzzled if Vietnamese cane juice rum must be allowed to make use of the time period since they have been below the French from the late 1800s to 1954. One of many counters is that Vietnam wasn’t below the French for that lengthy. The French territories that may use agricole have been below the French for hundreds of years. Martinique and Guadeloupe are the most typical examples, so let me use Reunion this time.
Reunion was mentioned to be an uninhabited island when it was discovered by the Portuguese within the early 1500s. The French East India Firm settled on the island within the mid 1600s. They have been dominated by France as a colony till 1946; it turned an abroad division and area of France in 1974. Evaluate that to Vietnam which wasn’t below the French for a minimum of a century and at the moment isn’t an abroad division.
Madeira having the ability to name their cane juice rum agricole might be as stunning to most because it was to me, primarily as a result of I initially solely knew them as producers of the fortified wine of the identical title.
Apparently, sugarcane was launched by the Portuguese to Madeira in 1425. By 1466, sugar turned the island’s fundamental export product. Except for being bought to mainland Portugal, their sugar reached elements of Africa and Northern Europe.
After just a few centuries of on and off sugarcane cultivation (resulting from varied points reminiscent of competitors, cane illnesses, and pests) Madeira’s sugarcane cultivation began to increase once more within the 1800s. However this time, additionally they began producing agricultural rum, because the tools and expertise for it reached the island.
That is stunning to me because the Portuguese waited so lengthy to provide agricole in Madeira. They’ve been producing Cachaça, which can also be cane juice-based, in Brazil because the late 1500s. Rum in Barbados solely happened within the 1600s because of the Dutch.
At the moment, there’s a resurgence in sugarcane manufacturing. Together with a better demand for Madeira rum, the regional authorities has been giving incentives and technical assist for manufacturing.
The agricole rum I’m reviewing at this time is That Boutique Y Rum Firm’s (TBRC) O Reizinho. O Reizinho comes from a mill of the identical title and means “the little king.” It’s owned by Florentino Izildo Gouviea Ferreira who created it in 1982. Except for rum, they produce liqueurs and different spirits.
In line with this video, harvest and rum manufacturing usually lasts from March to Could or mid-June. It’s implied that each one the work is manually performed. Solely the cane crushers and an electrical powered trapiche (mill) aren’t guide. They use pure fermentation that lasts for 3 to 4 days. Their copper pot stills are fueled by wooden. To date, their aged rum are all aged in ex-Madeira wine casks. The Madeira GI requires rum to be aged for a minimum of 3 years.
TBRC’s O Reizinho was distilled in 2017 and was rested in an inert container earlier than bottling.
Due to rumdamadeira.com for the notes.
That Boutique-y Rum Firm O Reizinho Madeira Rum Batch 1 – Overview
49.7% ABV. Bottle #141/487. Batch 2 obtainable from The Whisky Trade for £33.75.
Colour: Clear.
On the nostril: Preliminary impressions are that it’s citrusy with a little bit of salinity and grassiness. I get gentle to medium aromas of dried orange and lemon peel, lemongrass, salt water, pink peppercorn, olive water, cane juice, cane stalks and cane vinegar.
Within the mouth: A lot brighter in comparison with the nostril however much less cohesive and has extra chew. I get medium tastes of dried orange peel, peppercorns, lemongrass and cane juice. The olive and cane vinegar notes are nonetheless there however lighter.
Conclusions:
On the nostril, it’s extra layered however the completely different notes aren’t as lasting. Whereas within the mouth, it’s not as layered however the completely different tastes last more and are simpler to understand.
This can be a excellent style of unaged Madeira agricole. I’ve had one in all Boutique-y’s aged Madeira agricoles, however wasn’t a fan of it. As a result of this utilized wild fermentation and pot stills, I anticipated a little bit of funk. However there’s even much less funk with the dearth of pronounced grassy notes present in typical agricoles. Regardless, that is good and makes me look ahead to attempting extra from Madeira agricoles.
