Saint James Les Ephémères - N°7

 Direct comparison between the St. James Epheremes 5 & 7: Both are great examples of typical agricole with woody notes, dried fruits, lots of leather and a long dry finish. The grassy aromas are only subliminally present here. No. 5 is a little lighter and fruitier on the palate, while No. 7 is a little more astringent and mouth-filling, but with slightly less well-integrated alcohol. For me, both are on a par, depending on the mood of the day.

 Clearly rounder and more pleasing than the 2001 release of the Les Ephémeres series. More vanilla sweetness, toffee and discreet nougat; in addition, light citrus notes, the spice and wood notes are less concise compared to the 2001 release. A great complement to the first release; the Les Ephémeres series skillfully plays with the different flavor aspects Saint James has to offer. Coherent selection, a very pleasing rum that is fun without being boring.

 A good Agricole... its predecessor is m. E. but better!This is not quite as elegant and balanced! Only its fruit content is more pleasing

 today a comparison I've been looking forward to for a while: the No. 7 against the No. 1 in a 'direct duel'. What strikes me first is that the markers on the nose, which I like so much in the No. 1 (esp. dried fig, nougat, freshness, barrel) are also clearly present in the No. 7. The No. 1 still waits with a little more nougat sweetness, and seems overall also a touch more intense, but that may well be due to the slightly higher ABV; just as on the palate, both similar, with nutmeg, sandalwood and caramel, the No. 1 a touch longer in the finish, Conclusion: even if the No. 1 is perhaps a touch better, so the No. 7 is definitely close!

 Not too bad a release but I did like the first one better. Still a pretty good rum and I like the balance of the wood, because it's not too dominant but completes the profile with fruit and spices. Lightly dry on the palate.

 Very good Agricole, a bit young looking, lacking a bit of depth.

 Ce Saint James Éphémère numéro 7 est concentré sur un profil sombre et boisé, qu’on retrouve au nez avec des notes de fruits secs, du caramel et des notes torréfiées de café et de noix. Une fraîcheur florale est également perceptible. Au palais, on retrouve une trame très épicée et toastée, qui déroule les arômes avec beaucoup de douceur. Sec, rond et élégant, ce Saint James est légèrement plus chaud et unidimensionnel en finale, légèrement en deçà par rapport aux attentes sur ce type de profil. Plus discret et moins exubérant que le premier Éphémère, ce Saint James reste toutefois élégant, délicat et de très haute qualité, avec un prix défiant toute concurrence.

 Very disappointing for me. Mainly woody, sour, bitter and somewhat resinous and musty. Especially this sour note is quite a turn off for me.... Sorry.

 The second in the bunch seems a bit lighter. The nose is floral, fruity, nutty, herbal, spicy and earthy. The taste here is also very complex and determined by fruit, spices, flowers, licorice, leather and some caramel. The finish is long here as well. A bit more pleasing on the palate, determined by spices, caramel, fruit, pepper and some sweetness. This rhum is also very complex and a great bottling. This bottling has, for me, slightly ahead, since he has a little less vol. Alcohol has, less time in the barrel was allowed to spend and comes along with a little more sweetness. But there are only slight nuances in which these rhums differ.

 A very good but not quite great Grand Cru agricole tropically aged 15 years. Tested side by side with the no.1 and it is a lot softer and much faster to dissipate in comparison. I even got a whiff of some classic rum caramel tones in this one. In a second tasting I notice that the standout agreeable note is honey (!) Overall a very good bottle but if you can get your hands on the no.1 without paying a fortune it is the better choice. Can’t wait for the 6 and the 5! Btw if confused by the naming it’s because it spells out 1765, the year Saint James was born 🙂.

 I could imagine that those who have tasted the No. 1 are quite disappointed by this No. 7. I certainly was. This rhum just has nothing special, no sparkle, no elegance. But maybe the expectations were just too high after the No. 1. It is noticeable that the alcohol is quite poorly integrated for my liking.Conclusion: At best what for collectors of the complete series 1-7-6-5, where the bottle remains closed.Too bad. 🥴The also just released, much younger Clément (RX13504) easily outranks the Saint James.

 En dessous de l’éphémère 1. Moins de gourmandise même si ça reste une très belle bouteille.

 Muss ich noch im direkten Vergleich zu No1 probieren. Momentan empfinde ich den No7 kein Bisschen schlechter, anders als viele Verkoster vor mir. Nachtrag: Heute endlich alle vier Ephemeres zusammen verkostet. Sie sind alle vier sehr gut und ich kann kaum einen Favoriten ausmachen. No. 6 gefällt mir an der Nase sehr gut, mit den deutlichen Orangen-Noten. Am Gaumen wäre es eher die No. 1.

 Malgré un profil assez similaire je trouve celui-ci nettement moins boisé que le numéro 1, ce qui le rend à mon avis plus rond plus doux et plus élégant dû aussi au degrés un peu moins élevé et une garde moins prolongé et donc me convient mieux.

 Boisé. Agricole. Sec. Pas désagréable du tout. Mais je ne comprends pas le hype autour de cette bouteille. Édit : même sensation à la 2e dégustation.