Rhum JM VO 3-Year

Tasted at Laka Lono on 12/20/18. POW! Hits you like a haymaker. Green apple aroma (acetaldehyde?). Grassy. Caramel and berries. Pithy and a rude boy that refuses to stop delivering tastes. Maybe a bit of fusel?
UPDATE: 8/16/23. This rum is musty. I’m an idiot. It’s fantastic and does not deserve an 8. The brain trust at JM has decided to discontinue the VO. I may never taste this again. Sad.

Hot for sure. Smells pleasant.
Very young tasting but has these complex etc barrel flavors. Candy, oak, maybe banana, sort of agricole-y notes which I am a fan of. A clean finish, no it isn’t perfect . I don’t know these specific elements too well but it works for me to sip it

Fruity rum with medium strong alcohol, low sugar with long and interesting long aftertaste (herbs, nuts).

I had this little local rum tasting and while this is a more whiskey barrel forward rum, I did think it had a more velvety smoother texture to it with less burn and I honestly think it was better than like Niessan's reserve. I think this is a great bang for the buck bottle

I really like this. Different than the typical rum and ron, hard to describe. Maybe smoother and more velvety, taste comes to you over a different curve in a sense. Absolutely worth while. Will try the X.O. later, O have high hopes.

Aroma is a bit wild with apple and flowers. Taste is surprisingly smooth with grass and sour apple tones. Aftertaste is pleasant and long, leaving bourbone tones on palate.

Having tried their VSOP last week, I bought a bottle of this 3 year old VO today. If you like unadulterated rums from Barbados and don't care for rhum agricoles, then this rhum is for you. If someone had blindfolded me and asked me to sip this rum and then tell them where it came from, I would have to say Barbados instead of Martinique. The nose and palate are of caramel, which hides the vegetal agricole taste very well. At 86 proof, it is surprisingly smooth and has very little burn. For only $34 US, this rhum is now recommended as a repeat purchase. It is great as a neat sipper and makes one fantastic Mai Tai when paired with the right Jamaican rum (Appleton Reserve Blend is highly recommended after several trials).

Update February 13, 2019: Out of the 10 Martinquan rhum agricoles that I have tried, this is my top ranked readily available one with a rating of a 7. This also includes going up against 3 from Haiti, 2 from Louisiana and 1 from Florida. Depaz Blue Cane Amber Rhum is even better, but I only found one bottle in my life.

Leuchtendes Bernstein mit Kupferreflektionen im Glas.
In der Nase leicht - locker und doch mit tiefe. Überreife tropische Früchte in einem Holzbottich, frisch gepflückte gelbe und weisse Blumen liegen als hübscher Strauss dabei. Tabakblätter, Leder und ein wenig Moos sind mit Harz an die Henkel des Bottichs geklebt.
Am Gaumen lieblich und weich. Die tropischen Früchte werden noch leicht karamellisiert bevor den Mund erreichen. Da ist noch etwas mit dem Holzaroma, irgendwie wie wenn du an einem Piratenschiff leckst das schon vor langer Zeit gesunken ist.
Im Abgang etwas Früchte, ein bisschen Karamell, ein halbes Holzbein, gemischt mit Zuckerrohrsaft und durch ein altes Segel gesiebt.
Ein toller, uriger Agricole, voller Aromen und Geschichten. Für Liebhaber solcher Dinge. 7++
- 2 cl Muster -

Bright amber with copper reflections in the glass.
In the nose light - loose and yet with depth. Overripe tropical fruit in a wooden vat, freshly picked yellow and white flowers lie as a pretty bouquet. Tobacco leaves, leather and a little moss are glued with resin to the handles of the vat.
Lovely and soft on the palate. The tropical fruits are still lightly caramelized before reaching the mouth. There's still something with the wood flavor, kind of like when you lick a pirate ship that sank a long time ago.
Finishes with some fruit, a bit of caramel, half a wooden leg mixed with sugar cane juice and strained through an old sail.
A great, rustic Agricole, full of flavors and stories. For lovers of such things. 7++
- 2 cl sample -

Ce VO constitue l'entrée de gamme des rhums vieux de chez JM.
Design : bouteille "old school", le rhum a une belle couleur ambrée.
On retrouve les odeurs sucrées, fruits confits, miel et épices.
Le rhum est franchement sec en attaque, limite piquant (alcool), puis viennent des goûts de fruits confits, de canne avec une bonne dose d'épices (poivre notamment).
Vient une longue finale de canne.
Agréable à boire, ce rhum à beaucoup de caractère, une bonne entrée de gamme qui vaut le coût.

This is the first Agricole I've tasted. I had this neat over dinner. The smell was of something organic, I just couldn't pinpoint it. It didn't have any scent of alcohol, and nothing super sweet like sugars. At first sip I noticed some spices, and the organic taste. It wasn't bad, very smooth, and enjoyable. After allowing it to breathe for a bit and a couple swirls of the glass, I tried it again. Still same flavors (unlike many rums I've tried before) I would definitely give this rum another go around in the future if given the chance.