La Maison du Rhum - Ile Maurice #2 (43%)

This second edition, bottled by the importer Dugas' brand "La Maison du Rhum", comes from the Rivière du Mât distillery in Reunion.
Distilled in column in 2010, the rum was aged for 8 years in French oak barrels and in barrels that had previously contained cognac. The whole process was supervised by Jean Grondin, the Cellar Master, and Christian Vergier who also brings his experience to other prestigious distilleries, notably in Martinique and Mauritius.
5303 bottles of this rum were produced.

The nose offers immediately a nice complexity, typical of the distillery's style, with a little more oily aspect. The fruit pastes are dense and concentrated, they are slightly sprinkled with spices, and the wood still carries a sap with vegetal accents.
The aeration begins to unravel the blocks of fruit paste, starting with the quince paste which readily diffuses its oxidised, slightly acidic, complex perfumes. The candied ginger is also there, it rubs shoulders with the dried apricot and other sweet spices. There is a hint of coffee as we approach the wood, but it is the vegetal side that predominates.
The palate is full and almost surprisingly envelops the taste buds. Roasted notes take control, with nuts like pecan. The oily/smoky character is very present here, and then melts into caramel and woody reduction, with some almonds.
The finish is spicy, rather long, with some resinous aromas such as rosemary.