Saint James Les Ephémères - N°1

 Very horny nose - really great Agricole essence! On the palate, despite its long, tropical aging, still drinkable and not too woody. Quite dry. Great mouthfeel. Absolutely recommended for all lovers of Agricole at cask strength. And that too at an unbeatable (issue) price.

 For me, this is by far the best of the St. James Epheremes series. As with the others, dried fruits, wood, spices,... dominate here. Mint is also very present here. The whole rum is very dry, but that fits here. A really cool ageicole!

 Very nice round Agricole. Everything is very coherent and harmonious without any major rough edges. The age gives a light eucalyptus and tea note without becoming special. Also great value for money on release.

 Powerful Saint James, complex aromatic profile with nougat, present dark spices, bitter wood influences and dried fruits. Very good representative of the 2001 Saint James and a successful entry into the Les Ephémeres series.

 For 20y tropically matured this Agricole is surprisingly light, fruity and fresh after menthol, apricot compote and winter spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and some cocoa. Wood is of course also very dominant taste but just long not as extreme as I would have expected. Really nice old cask strength Agricole!

 The nose I find initially surprising and good! In addition to the classic wood and spicy notes I had perceived grated almonds!On the palate it then loses something, the spicy wood notes predominate , fruit is almost not recognizable!In the finish it is then classic Agricole!Had somehow expected more

 Second tasting: Great stuff! I find the nose surprisingly sticky! Much more edgy and fruity on the palate than RX7259. The finish is consistent with a taste sensation.

 Very good, wonderfully balanced, yet intense and complex Agricole!

 Just got two bottles of this limited release which is the first of a series of four if I have understood it correctly. From opening the bottle the flavours just come at you and there was no doubt this was a good one. The nose is well balanced with wood and fruits from the start followed by spices and a wonderful roasted note. The palate is complex and also very well balanced, warm and woody with dried fruit, spices and spices and again this wonderful roasted note. The finish is long and woody with dried fruit and spices. Now this has me hooked on the next two releases supposed to be released in September 2022 (No. 2) and the final two (No. 3 and No. 4) in 2023.

 St. James, 20 years old, over 50%? This must be tasted.Nose: nice spicy-woody-fruity. Very intense and concentrated. There's the oak first, dry, almost dusty. In addition, dry vanilla powder and pleasant tobacco scent. Now comes a restrained sweetness of cherry and dried apricot. If you smell a little stronger into it there is some vinegar. Reminds then also of red wine. Palate: wow, decent acidity at the start, towards wood acidity. Immediately followed by a slight bitter note, which quickly turns into Agricol's typical grassy, raw sugar cane. Besides that, a lot happens... nutmeg and clove come together with aromatic cherry wood and strong sandalwood, again slightly the impression of red wine.Yes, this is a good one!!!

 This is the first rum in Cellar Master Marc Sassier's series, which celebrates the distillery's best vintages. After distillation, the rum was aged in November 2001 in 190-liter American oak casks, where it matured for 19 years in Sainte-Marie's cellars and was bottled on 13/04/2021. The taste is slightly sharp, woody and herbaceous. The aftertaste is resin and lots of burning wood with tannins. Long and very bitter.

 Whew! This is heavy stuff 20 years of tropical aging brings a lot of wood. A lot of wood, charred wood and with it dark spices, coffee, tobacco. Amazing: the vegetal aroma of the fresh sugar cane remains although we are more with the roots than the young shoots. There is no room for much fruit. Some sour cherry and a few dried fruits round out the profile.In the mouth, it is precisely these restrained fruits that are fully there! Fresh fruit continues to be sought in vain, but the wood soup becomes fruit compote with cherries and dark berries - which was forgotten too long in a cigar box 🤷♂️. The wood brings ample tannins and bitterness. Surprisingly light in contrast, the finish brings no new facet. A good rum, but not my profile.

 The quintessential spirit of Saint James. This is a very well-balanced rum, juggling notes of aged precious woods, spices, chocolate, tobacco, as well as floral and pastry notes to create a complete aromatic palette. A beautiful complexity that carries through to the palate, with roasted, woody and spicy flavors, dried fruit and red berry notes, and a vegetal freshness. The whole is very harmonious, round and aromatic. The very long finish continues with the vegetal freshness previously felt, notably eucalyptus, floral and vegetal notes that brilliantly accompany the rest of the profile, fruity but drier, woody and spicy. A rum of unprecedented quality for an indecently low price.

 8,9:On the nose, the first impression we get is a pure agricole rum with mineral, waxy and honeyed sugarcane, dried, yellow fruits, some solvents and nutmeg. The wood is quite roasted with some chocolate, nougat, nuts and buttery with pastry. As we air it, vegetal flowery come out, dried fruits are caramelized, there is some creme brulee.The cane, fruits and wood are nicely balanced. Later we notice some more charred notes with coffee, darker chocolate and citrus with an orange. 8,8:On the palate,the sugarcane is mineral, spicy, the wood roasted, dry.There are strong nutty notes, dried fruits and ripe banana. They are quickly joined with yellow and red fruits, the notes of sandal wood come out after nice rest, as nice spectre of vegetal notes like an olive, eucalyptus and flowery with geranium.Some confectionery with vanilla and pepper add to the variety and complexity of this tasty, balanced rum. 8,7:The finish is long, the sugarcane is mineral, juicy, spicy, wood dry and charred with dark chocolate. The fruits are yellow and dried, some vegetal notes flowery, with some eucalyptus..

 Complimenti a saint James che qui tira fuori un grande rum! Alcol perfettamente integrato, la canna da zucchero si fonde benissimo con i sentori di legno tostati.. Una delle migliori bottiglie della distilleria uscite ultimamente! Favoloso!