A blend of various marks, this new version of Great House produced according to a recipe that changes from year to year shows this rum in a very different light. This particularly expressive 2022 edition sets the tone right from the start for a tasting that explores a huge diversity of fruity registers, right to the empty glass. Medicinal notes guide its flavour and aroma palette to a decidedly empyreumatic profile.

Nose : Both lively and smooth. On the first nose, fragrances of candied lemon and ripe banana engage in a battle where neither emerges the victor. Allowed to breathe, medicinal aromas (mustard poultice, elastoplast), exotic fruit (kiwi, lychee) and white florals (lily of the valley, lily) bring lots of depth to the aroma palette. Then, unexpectedly, fragrances of William’s pear gradually arrive centrestage. Superb!

Palate : Taut, sinewy. Very closely linked to the aroma palette, the attack also reveals notes of William’s pear and lemon. The milky midpalate (coconut, agave) is increasingly spicy (pepper, nutmeg, clove) and vegetal (sugar cane). At the end of the palate, flavours of rhubarb and bourbon vanilla beautifully punctuate the second stage of the tasting.

Finish : Long, creamy. At the start of the finish, notes of tobacco, cane fibre and gentian root clearly embody the flavour palette’s slightly tannic evolution. Covered in a fine layer of salted butter caramel, the end of the finish pours warm cane sugar onto the palate. The original retro-nasal olfaction precisely evokes a wild raspberry spirit. A little later, the empty glass reveals aromas of cherry brandy.