William Hinton 6-Year

This William Hinton Agricole produced by the Engenho Novo Distillery in Madeira is a blend aged for a minimum of six years in ex-Port, ex-Madeira, ex-Sherry, ex-Bourbon and ex-Brandy casks.
The nose is woody and complex with aromas of chocolate and vanilla.
In mouth and at the palate it’s woody, sweet and a little spicy with tastes of chocolate and vanilla.
The finish is medium long and spicy.
Overall an OK everyday rum that I expected to be more complex because of all the different casks used.
Pictures: My emptied sample with a poured glass. One of them out in the snow.

This rum is made from freshly pressed sugar cane juice from Madeira island. It is distilled by the Engenho Novo do Madeira distillery using a continuous still (copper column) which was refurbished when the distillery was reopened in 2006. The William Hinton family and the associated distillery can look back to a century+ history of sugar & rum production. Local aging of 6 years using a variety of oak barrels, especially French oak. Nosing reveals very fruity aroma of raisins, brown sugar and figs. Palate starts smoothly, then turning into vegetal notes together with flavor of wood and nuts. Dry and fruity finish. Overall the palate clearly reveals that this is an Agricole style rum but I experienced it as much sweeter and less spicy compared e.g. to a VSOP or XO rhum from Martinique. As such this rum might be interesting especially for those used to (sweeter) molasse based rums and who are looking for an entry point into the world of agricole styled rums. Real grade is 7.5-8.0, have included it therefore in the 8-grade cluster.

I spent months trying to buy this bottle, and it was worth the wait.
Fantastic product! Perfect on the nose, even better on the palate.
Very smooth, balanced, good Madeira wine notes, medium finish.
A little pricey, but the quality makes up for it.
I recommend.

Le meilleur des trois rhum William Hinton. Dispendieux pour un six ans seulement. Finale boisée et alcoolisée.