Excellence Rhum Saint James Brut de Fût (Excellence Rhum’s 10th Anniversary)

"Great Rum, well balanced, complex, great integration of the barrel and ABV. It has the classic St. James profile with all the beloved notes and tastes. I love the fresh, minty, chamomile notes at the very end of the finish. Conclusion of my tasting: 2006<<<2005<2001 (Roberto style 😜🙋🏼‍♂️)"

"Here you get what St. James promises. A lot of wood, very dry, dried fruits, leather and red fruits. The alcohol could be better integrated and a longer finish would be great."

"After tasting this rhum for the first time on February 6, 2024 at Lot-NAS (in parallel with RX17197), I let it compete again today, this time against RX10626. And I can make it short: The cask for RX18129 was excellently selected, a beautifully woody-spicy, powerful agricole with depth, a really worthy birthday present for Excellence Rhum's 10th birthday, playing a league higher than RX10626 and RX17197. Congratulations! I will taste this rhum again in parallel with Les Ephemeres No. 6 (RX15601) from the same distillation year - if I can find the sample of No. 6 ... 🤭 Update 2024-02-11: Found sample of RX15601 and immediately tasted it again in parallel with the above rhum. Result as expected: Les Ephemeres No. 6 is in no way a match for the rhum from Excellence Rhum. Strangely enough, it has an unpleasant smell of inferior glue on the nose, at least at the beginning, and an inappropriate sharpness on the palate; the Agricole seems unround overall - all in direct comparison to RX18129, mind you. Tasted individually, it would certainly score better."

"Tasted this great, elegant and complex Agricole at a masterclass held by Excellence Rhum during Sweden (Stockholm) Rumfest 2024. It’s a Brut de fût distilled in 2006 whereafter it’s aged for 15 years in 190 L American oak barrels before bottled at 53,1% in just 1260 bottles exclusively for Excellence Rhum’s 10 year celebration. On the nose it’s complex, fresh, fruity and woody with aromas of orange, vanilla and chocolate. On the palate it’s woody, fruity, spicy, nutty, dry and a little bitter with flavors of orange, plums, citrus and vanilla. The long finish is elegant and warm with flavors of plums and dried fruits."

"Calendrier de l’Avent RumX, jour 14. Un nez expressif qui fait penser à un rhum agricole (herbes sèches), fruité (banane et fruits tropicaux) avec un bois marqué et un côté vernis à bois. Une entrée de bouche intense avec encore plus de fruits qu’au nez, fruits tropicaux, fruits jaunes et agrumes. Un bois bien présent mais intégré avec une belle amertume. La finale est bien équilibrée entre les fruits et les herbes sèches et le boisé. Un très beau rhum expressif et équilibré, fruité, boisé. Un sans faute ici !"

"Tag 14 RumX Adventskalender 2024. Zusammen mit DomM verkostet. Anfangs schwierig für mich einzuordnen, aber nach ein bißchen Zeit, Richtung Martinique getippt. Mit den letzten Tropfen im Glas als Saint James getippt. Zum Glück keine seifigen oder Waschmittel Noten erkennbar. Einer der besseren aus dieser Distillery. Hat mir wirklich geschmeckt"

"A wonderfully round, classic Saint James that is on the spicy and woody side. Dried red fruits can also be detected. I like this profile, especially for a relaxed evening... a very good cask selection from Excellence Rhum. It is very round and full-bodied on the palate. The alcohol strength is perfect and very well integrated."

"#4766 07.07.2024 Relaxing at home with a few samples. Nose Fresh, balanced, light mint, light wood, orange, light polish, light plum. Palate Oily, light wood, faint floral, light orange, light roasted, elegant, balanced, light vegetal. Finish Medium to long, light oily, balanced, light roasted wood, light mint, light nutts, light dried fruits. . The empty glass has faint caramel, light prunes and some candy notes."

"Very much wood and tannins, therefore also quite astringent and dry, slight violet note, in addition orange peel and tropical fruits but overall it seems very light and filigree, very elegant and delicious. Menthol, tobacco, orange peel, violets, old toasted wood, pleasant tannins... Can easily keep up with bally 2006 & co."

"Dried fruit, nutmeg, barrel, toffee on the nose. With longer standing time, a fresh note also comes through, in the direction of quince. On the palate there is a clear barrel influence with plenty of tannins, paired with a nice spiciness of nutmeg, tobacco and espresso. Somewhat bitter on the finish and somehow slightly musty and earthy, reminding me of a potato cellar. A good St James, but I'm still a little short of the best, like the 2002 Corman"

"Excellence Rhum rounds off its tenth anniversary with a fine selection from Saint James, which could be considered "the fifth ephemera". The olfactory profile is very elegant, starting with a surprisingly fresh, floral side, before the dark notes of roasted oak and spices (cinnamon, winter spices, pepper) emerge and balance the whole on the nose. There are also lovely notes of red fruit and blackcurrant, offering plenty of gourmandise. A pleasant olfactory surprise. On the palate, Saint James is dry and intense, with hints of cherry and dried fruit before woody, spicy notes take over. Licorice, slightly empyreumatic oak, coffee, leather and walnuts darken the profile, which then moves on to a herbaceous, agricultural touch. Alcohol is slightly too present compared to other vintages. The finish is very long, dominated by woody, spicy and toasty flavors. Cocoa, dried fruit, cherry and walnut add deliciousness to a dry, warm, slightly tannic profile. More vegetal notes of sugarcane follow. A complete, elegant profile with character, at an unbeatable price."

"RumX Adventskalender Tag 14. Diesmal ein Brut de Fut von Saint James. Nase finde ich sehr vielversprechend. Fass, Holz, Gewürze aber auch etwas Vanille ist erkennbar. Am Gaumen dann auch überwiegend holzig und würzig mit einem Touch Vanille."

"On the nose, I notice ripe red fruits, currants and sour cherries. From the nose I would guess T.D.L or Ten Cane. Palate: oops, very alcoholic, 65%+ and the same aromas as on the nose, not very sweet. I'm sticking to my guns: probably Ten Cane from 2008, they usually come across as quite alcoholic and have that sour cherry note. I like it very much: 8.6"

"RumX Kalender 2024 Day 14: Recht verschlossene Nase, nach einer Weile kommen Gras & Erde durch. Bleibt aber zurückhaltend. Im Mund dann überraschend kräftig, die Grasigkeit ist voll da, gepaart mit schönem Holz & Schärfe. Schöner älterer Agricole, lecker! Evtl Bally oder St. James?"

"Surprisingly complex notes on the nose. Dark chocolate, tropical fruit, agricole, vanilla, toffee, roasted, spices and wood. The palate is somewhat drier and grassier than expected. Sugar cane, citrus fruits, wood"