CigarsLover Magazine Awards Issue

RUM AWARDS
4
5
Père Labat
Xo
Long Pond
ITP 15 Year Old
COUNTRY
Guadalupe
ABV - PROOF
42% - 84
PRICE
$ 90 - € 95
COUNTRY
Jamaica
ABV - PROOF
45.7% - 91.4
PRICE
$ 200 - € 280
PATISSERIE AND BALSAMIC.
The Xo is produced in Grand-Bourg by the Poisson distillery
on the island of Marie-Galante, the oldest on the
island. This pure cane juice rum of at least 6 years of age is
distilled in a red copper Creole column for a limited edition
of 3,500 bottles.
This Père Labat Xo shows an elegant and fresh nose with
scents of pear, thyme’s honey, candied citrus, and mint
chocolate chips. The palate is all about the visou that
elevates the sip from a bed of sweet patisserie notes to
surprisingly mineral and salty heights. Plenty of balsamic
hints and sweet spices until the very end. What an elegant
agricole rhum!
93
FUNKY AND RESINOUS.
This is the first old rum bottled by this distillery, which
has existed since the 18th century. Distilled in John Dore
pot-stills, the ITP label indicates that it is a rather light rum
(90-120 g/hlap in esters), but the 15 years in American oak
cask developed great aromas and complexity.
It’s typically funky as all Jamaican rums, but the long aging
added a load of intense spices over the rich background
of tropical fruit: mango, litchi, ananas, maracuja, star fruit,
and plantain. There’s an evident mineral vein with balsamic
and resinous branches, tobacco, blackcurrant, and
something brackish. The finish is warm and peppery, with
a creamy mouth of almonds and exotic fruit.
93
90 #5-2022 CigarsLover Magazine