Eminente Reserva Ron de Cuba
Origin: Cuba/France (LVMH) / 41,3% / Price: 50€
Surprising at first glance with a giant like LMVH, but here we actually have the first rum in the portfolio of the luxury goods company. A little over 4 years ago, the company set out to add a rum to their brand family that would be as versatile as possible, with a focus on high quality as well. For this purpose, they met with the Cuban government, which of course owns all distilleries in the country and agreed on a joint project, the result of which we see here. The design of the bottle is of course breathtakingly cool, recycled (!) glass in croco embossing, referring to the old designation of Cuba as “Crocodile Island” due to its distinctive shape.
But also the rum istelf can definitely convince me and lies for me in taste somewhere between more classic, "harder" Cubans with the oak and tobacco, and a Demerara rum like El Dorado 15 on the other hand, just less artificial than the latter. This nice volume in the mouth is probably also due to the unusually high proportion of Aguardiente de Cana, which is up to 70% in Eminente, while the average of rum producers on the island is less than 20%.
Aguardientes are referred to as the "soul of Cuba" and are the most flavorful and complex spirits the island produces from molasses & distilled to up to 75% ABV. They are then aged in white oak barrels, formerly used for aging whiskey, and blended & re-aged with traditional light Cuban rum distilled to 96% ABV. The youngest portion is according to LMVH thereby 7Y as can be read on the label, although you should not expect significantly older parts in it, especially not quantitywise.
According to Moët Hennessy, the aguardiente gives the flavors depth, while the light rum provides liveliness. I can definitely confirm this combination of characteristics while tasting it.
Nose:
Chocolate, in the distance some pineapple and guava, toffee, but rather nice dry instead of sweet or soggy, some sugar cane and oak. After a long time in the glass comes nice dry tobacco and dried cherries discreetly, as well as dried guava
Taste:
Nice coffee and dark chocolate up front, then some dried fruit, bright but also dried cherry, oak, subtle black pepper and then also light tropical notes with pineapple chips, some candied ginger, nutmeg and toasted oak with light toasted notes
Finish:
Pineapple chips, oak, black pepper, guava chips, salted caramel, dark chocolate, medium to long
