Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique – June 2024
From the home of Rhum Agricole and for the first time in Australia especially for the Rum Tribe! A brand new Caribbean rum from legendary Martinique producer Rhum J.M – The Terroir Volcanique.
Whilst we’ve jumped into sugar-cane juice derived rums (both aged and un-aged) previously – this month we have the absolute, real deal, l’original. The OG of Agricole, the cardinal crafters of cane juice, the recognized rulers of rhum – an aged Agricole Rhum from the home of Rhum Agricole – Rhum J.M
The Rhum J.M Terroir Volcanique is a column-distilled agricole. It is technically a ‘Vieux Agricole’ has been matured for at least 3 years in American oak with two distinct toasting regimes – intense, and extreme!
Agricole is a Rum (Rhum) variety that can only be produced in Martinique, Guadeloupe, French Guyana, Madiera and Reunion Island using the juice of sugar cane. ‘Agricole’ (or more specifically ‘Rhum Agricole’) is a term that is protected under an AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) Much like the name ‘champagne’ can only be used to describe a certain type of sparkling wine from a specific area.
This latest release from Rhum J.M celebrates their place of origin with an ode to the terroir of Mount Pelee – the temperamental volcano that overlooks the distillery and plantation.
Our Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cookie dough, vanilla and brown sugar with tinned peaches and cream alongside a cane-train bin full of fresh cut cane billets.
Palate: Big and bold and certainly takes no prisoners. There’s a huge raw-sugar-sweet fruitiness to this that is kept right in check by the column-distilled crispness of this spirit. Big vanilla cream notes punching right through give testament to the American Oak barrels J.M are using.
Finish: It’s a lovely whirlpool of sweet mock-cream apple turnover, with nutmeg-ey spice, licorice and creaming soda with just the mildest of astringency in the finale.
This is so easy and moorish to drink straight up I can’t even imagine cutting it with a mixer. An ice-cube might be nice on a hot day- but no more. Of course it is your rhum – drink it how you like and damn the haters. Tell them to get their own!
FROM RHUM J.M
“At Rhum J.M, we produce a rum that we want to be excellent. And our idea of excellence goes beyond that of taste. The J.M enthusiast must have the assurance that behind each of our bottles, passionate women and men have given meaning to excellence. By preserving their ecosystem, by promoting the raw material, by passing on the gestures and secrets of ancestral know-how, and by sharing the love and flavor of a unique product.” Emmanuel Bécheau Director of the Fonds-Préville Distillery
Column Distillation, Aged in American oak barrels having benefited from two types of toasting (intense & extreme), it draws its exceptional character from the environment of Montagne Pelée.
Terroir Volcanique, born from the perfect symbiosis between our unique terroir and the recognized know-how of the Fonds-Préville distillery, combines power and deliciousness to offer a unique tasting moment reflecting the many riches of Martinique.
Powerful and delicious. The perfect illustration of the Terroir and Know-How of Rhum J.M.
Dress Golden
Nose Notes of vanilla, honey and empyreumatic
Mouth Round with notes of tropical fruits and nutmeg Profile Complex | Powerful | Intense
ABOUT RHUM J.M
At the foot of Mount Pelee, a luxuriant nature thrives bordered by two rivers: Roches and Macouba. At the end of the 18th century, Antoine Leroux-Préville acquired a 164-hectare estate in this enchanting place to create a sugar mill. He gave it the name ‘Fonds-Préville’.
A century later, in 1845, the estate was bought by Jean-Marie Martin who gave a new impulse to the sugar factory by transforming it into a distillery. Shipped to Saint-Pierre, the rums with the initials ‘J.M’ were increasingly successful.
In 1912, the distillery was bought by the Crassous de Médeuil family. The two estates (Fonds-Préville and Bellevue) were then combined to form a single estate of 400 hectares. Major improvements are made, which contribute to give J.M. rum its reputation.
In 2002, the Martinique-based family business G.B.H bought the distillery. A few years later, the group undertook a complete modernization of the site to make it a model distillery, a jewel of intelligence and harmony with nature.
