Bellevue RA Guadeloupe SFGB 1998

One of the top 5 rums i tried on the german rum festival. Very delicious rum with all the lovely wooden, dried fruits, anise armomas paired with a nice lemon peal note. It has a clear wood note without being astringend in mouth/tongue. The alcohol is integrated very well. For me the best of all RA rums showed on the festival.

Blindtaste: Two 1998 vintage Bellevues. Kill Devil 20yrs 58,6% (exclusively for TWB) Rum Artesanal 24yrs 59,4% C: - (used a painted copita) N: 5min. Intense liquorish and fake lemon smell. Makes me think of Lemon candy slice. 20min. Right! More of the same. Lots of candy-fake lemons and tangerine. Is this “lemon-ester”? No, ester is something else, but its pungent all the same. M: A bit uninspired and sour. Very similar to when lemons are getting spoiled. In the background there is something that could be oak, coffee and burnt sugar but the bitterness overtakes most of the taste. Without even tasting the Kill Devil I know this must be the RA. An easy one! F: Long and bitter. B: No Btw For a rum ARTESANAL, the smell is rather artificial and fake. Funny you!

I'm beginning to doubt myself: most of the rums I've tasted recently have been rated by me with well over 80 points. Did they really have such a high level of quality objectively? With this rum, however, I'm pretty sure and have no doubts: Yes, this is something fine! A lovely Caribbean dream. Very interesting notes already in the nose, wonderful exotic-fruity impression. I think I'll have to get another bottle.Rating: sweet.Update 2022-12-09:Yesssss, the rum just puts a smile on my face. 😊 Anise and kumquat notes dominate very nicely today. Delicious!

Tonight's second blind tasting. At first I loved the nose, quite incredible. It's like putting your nose in a candied citrus cake. Incredible. On the palate, however, it's a different story. I found it very nauseating, very bitter, herbaceous mixed with citrus. But it's clearly too citrusy for me, even though I like it. The mouthfeel is a bit nauseating, I don't really appreciate it. Too bad, because the nose was just incredible, the alcohol too well integrated! (I couldn't guess where it came from on a blind taste test).

Already in the nose waits a very own green note, reminiscent of tart herbs and unripe vegetables. On the palate more balanced, tea, wood, fennel, spices - thereby overall extremely dry and thus rather on the tart side. Even if the Bellevue DNA remains recognizable, it is a rather unusual representative of the 98 batch with a clear impact on the herbaceous-green side.

Second chance for this rum. At the German Rumfestival last year he could not score with me. Thanks @Mto for the sample And now? At first fresh nose I'm crushed by orange juice but somehow not from delicious freshly squeezed but rather Tetra Pak.On the palate then more towards citrus and in the finish light tobacco notes.Thereby overall predominantly dry. So I do not know but sometimes the first impression is the right one. This rum and I will not be great friends.🤷🏻‍♂️Aber the attempt was worth it

This rum is different in taste than expected. In the smell test, I could not have assigned him a clear origin. On the nose, it presents itself pleasantly fresh with strong notes of (citrus) fruit and cinnamon. The palate is dominated by berries and grapefruit, wood, leather and tobacco, but without this rum being extremely astringent. In the background, I still detect anise and tea. I rarely experience this combination. The alcohol is top integrated. The flavors remain very long and intense in the mouth. An unusual experience and thus definitely the most interesting rum of the new RA bottlings. Price: 92 euros per 0.5 liters.

From a 5cl Sample in two sessions: Smelling the sample bottle immediately revealed a citrusy freshness. And a profile not unlike the Berry Bros 19yo. Once in the glass this changed completely. The citrus got dialed up at least two notches. The similarity is gone – not only to the Berry Bros but to all other 98 Bellevue I know. Reminds me of smelling Citronat while a bunch of cloves is nearby. The Taste is also very citrus forward, as if a whole lemon was dropped in the cask. But it's the slighlty bitter taste of lemon peel, rather than the meat. Quite firey/stingy from. the alcohol on both occasions. Finish is medium long, without any notable additions to the profile. Not my cup of tea. I prefer the "normal" 98 Bellevues. Edit: The empty glass smells like it should. No lemon peel here.

Absolutely not expecting this mega blatant citrus bomb on the nose! The slightly incidental aniseed note is a little irritating but fortunately only on the nose. The whole thing is complemented by leather, dark chocolate and light tobacco and menthol notes... Great Guadeloupe 98 but the Royal Cane is still a tick better! In PLV comparison, however, the RA is almost unbeatable for about 90€ 0.5L.

Wicked mixture of lemon and wood. Interesting, but not 100% my profile.

Extremely unusual rum. Great blend of citrus, wood and herbs. I like it really well!

Al naso è fresco e balsamico, molto agrumato (a momenti sembra di odorare un Grand Marnier) con cardamomo, pelle e legno in sottofondo. Al palato la pelle umami e il legno sono quasi in primo piano insieme al lato balsamico/mentolato di anice, finocchio, pino e liquirizia seguito da una nota vegetale, sempre tanti agrumi misti, una nota secca di tè nero che si unisce alle spezie (cardamomo) e a qualche frutto dolce, fino al finale che resta abbastanza persistente. Abv pertettamente integrato, ma il profilo aromatico non fa per me

A small comparison between two rums from the already widespread and often appreciated Bellevue 1998. The alcohol is very well integrated in both, and both are very intense on the palate with licorice, herbs, wood and citrus notes. The finish is medium long and oily warm. From the nose to the finish, I perceive an interesting cola-herbal aroma. Very interesting, it reminds me a little of cola water ice or a cola with fresh herbs that has been stale in the sun. The aroma profile is very similar, the RA is a little fresher and fruitier, whereas the RareFind is more woody and chocolatey. They don't take much from the points. 83 pts

Omg, that taste is realy weird. I dont know if it is just weird or I dont like it. Mint and anise...

9:On the nose, the first impression is very citrusy with lemon, orange peel, mandarine, grapefruit, as it is also woody with a spice like anise.The cane is vegetal with herbs, tea and there is feeling of a plastic. On aeration, the cane is darker with licorice, the wood roasted with caramel.The fruits are dried, green and from citrus, kumquat stands out, some flowery notes pop up. 8,9:On the palate, the attack is creamy, dry, woody with spices like anise and vanilla, charred with caramel, butterscotch, nuts.The citrus notes are still strong with lemon, later lime peel, orange. The other fruits are dried with apricots. The cane is herbal, later there is black tea, tobacco, flowery notes.The taste is quite intense, but still pleasant, round, especially when berries could be tasted and if well rested, even spruce tops. 9:The finish is long, creamy with toasted, roasted wood notes, dry, spicy, a bit earthy and fruity with citrus, green and dried fruits...the cane brings tobacco.