Rhum J.M Atelier Jardin Fruité

           Rhum J.M Atelier Jardin Fruité

Rhum J.M Atelier Jardin Fruité is created using fresh sugarcane juice that is fermented using a baker’s yeast within 24 hours of being harvested.  It is then distilled using a Creole column still and aged for 24 months in American and French oak barrels. After the maturation process is complete, the Rhum is blended to 42% ABV and bottled.

Appearance

The tinted 700 ml bottle obfuscates the color of the Rhum. The labels provide the basic information about the Rhum, presenting a brief marketing statement on the back that does a pretty good job of establishing the expectation of this expression. The bottle is sealed with a red security wrap that secures a plastic screw cap to the bottle. The liquid has a dark amber color with golden highlights. Swirling the tasting glass creates a thick band that releases fast moving legs down the side of the glass.

Nose

When the Rhum was poured into the glass, the aroma of floral tropical fruit and wood filled the air. This robust aroma quickly settled, and in the glass, I discovered vanilla, berries, tart fruit, and wisps of wood spice.

Palate

The first sip was way more subtle than I expected it to be considering the robustness of the aroma. The high note of vanilla leads the way immediately followed by mango, tangy lemon, and a berry medley of tart raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. As fruit notes dominate, the vanilla flavor deepens and becomes richer realigning to the midline of the flavor profile introduced a bit of honey to the profile.  As the wood notes manifest, they create the baseline of the flavor experience, adding a twist of lightly acidic wood tannins, nutmeg, charr and alcohol to the mix.  These notes subdue the sweeter fruit notes in the flavor profile as they linger in a long interesting leaving an alcohol twang behind.

Review

I became aware of this Rhum expression at the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail conference and was intrigued to evaluate it in an isolated tasting environment after really enjoying Rhum J.M’s Terroir Volcanique release last year. This Rhum is part of a trilogy of spirits that includes Fumée Volcanique and Epices Créoles that were created for the company’s portfolio as part of their new bar range of products. Overall, the flavor structure is a bit different than other Rhum J.M products I have experienced, and the level of complexity was a tad surprising, especially the way the alcohol, vanilla, and wood notes hit and contributed to the overall flavor experience. Moderately priced, it is approachable when looking for a new product to experience. By design, this Rhum melds well with other fruit flavors, especially citrus-based drinks, with the berry notes really punching up the cocktail. I will be curious to see what cocktail creators do with this product and what offerings we will see presented in bars and restaurants.