Rhum Barbancourt 15 yr Rum 750ml
Rhum Barbancourt Reserve du Domaine 15 Year comes from the same distillery Dupré Barbancourt founded in 1862 near Port-au-Prince, where he applied the double-distillation methods of his native Cognac region to Haitian sugarcane. For decades before the 1960s, this particular bottling was reserved strictly for the Gardère family and their guests rather than sold commercially, and it remains a limited release today, now overseen by Delphine Gardère, the sixth generation of the family to run the company. The rum went on to earn a gold medal at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2008.
Like the rest of the Barbancourt range, Reserve du Domaine starts from fresh sugarcane juice rather than molasses, pressed from cane sourced from small farmers across Haiti. The juice ferments before undergoing double distillation, a technique borrowed directly from Cognac production, and the resulting spirit ages a full fifteen years in French Limousin oak under Haiti's warm tropical climate, which accelerates maturation considerably. The finished rum is bottled at 43% ABV.
Dried figs and apricots open the aroma, giving way to toffee, butterscotch, and dark chocolate on the palate, layered with toasted almonds and baking spice. Oak asserts itself with a subtle smokiness, and the long finish carries molasses sweetness, peppery spice, and a last touch of tropical fruit.