Silver Seal 1998 Bellevue Guadeloupe 17-Year

This rum is part of the wildlife series collection. This is bottle # 2. From the Bellevue distillery to Marie Galante, a small island dependent on Guadeloupe. Amber color with beautiful reflections, the nose is very complex with notes of tobacco and leather. After a while, notes on candied fruits such as figs and prunes come with coffee and chocolate. In the mouth, we find the smoky side with always the same notes but it remains extremely soft. The finish is long and complex with the smoke that will dominate. Not found confirmation but it is surely a blend of molasses and agricole rum. Gorgeous.

A dark amber colouring and fruity aroma raises hopes, but there's something a bit chemical and aniseed about it. The taste echoes the same. Lovely smooth beginnings with an warm oak taste, but shortly followed by a very bitter aniseed and chemical taste. The aftertaste leaves you with all the subtle tastes that you expected to start with. Left on ice until the ice has melted eliminates the strong chemical taste, but also dilutes all the subtle flavours.

Very delicious rhum from Guadeloupe. Leather, salt, figs dominate, then thyme, coffee, chocolate, dryed fruits. Lovely.