Review: Rum from A1710 - Blog post by Allan Bjerreskov

Think you don't like agricole rum? Then both I and especially the new distillery A1710 from Martinique would like to make a solid effort to convince you that you're wrong

Blog post by Allan Bjerreskov

I've been there myself. The place where rhum agricole is something you turn your nose up at. Something that lacks the fatness and richness you like so much. Something the "rum snobs" drink. Fortunately, it's been many years since I learned to drink agricole. And today, some of the best bottles in my liquor cabinet are agricole - which, for the record, is rum produced from the freshly pressed sugar cane juice and distilled in one of the French departments (or on the Portuguese island of Madeira).

Agricole is not as easy-drinking as the sweet rums, but I would argue that once you train your taste buds to appreciate the fresh, green notes and solid craftsmanship of the French rum style, you'll fall in love with agricole like Jørgen Leth with the Tour de France. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a stretch...

In this post, we're going to dive into four bottlings from the relatively new distillery A1710 in Martinique. A1710 opened and put out its first batch in 2015. And unlike most agricole, which is column distilled, A1710 does things in a new and innovative way. Their two stills consist of a kettle connected to a small column with seven plates. This is batch-distilled agricole, which is quite unique in itself. You can read much more about the history of the distillery and their methods on their own website. But before you get too nerdy, you're probably reading this mainly to find out if the stuff is drinkable. So let's get our noses and tongues in the glass.

Bête à feu
We start with one of the distillery's newest additions. The name is Creole for firefly and the unaged rum is watered down to 50.9% alcohol - so it's potent without being violent. The rum has already won a number of awards. But there are so many that have, so I would generally advise against attaching too much importance to it. The manufacturer recommends both using it in punch and drinking it neat. I have only had the opportunity to do the latter.

Scent: If you've ever smelled freshly squeezed sugar cane, you'll immediately recognize the sensation here. The scent almost pours out of the glass. Once the strong impression of sugar cane has settled, there are also notes of pepper and honey, leaving a very well-balanced scent impression.

Taste: It's not as sweet as I expected from the scent. There's a bit of floral sweetness right when it hits the tongue, but it quickly becomes a more dry taste experience, with the alcohol tingling all the way around the mouth. That's a plus in my book, if you have any doubts. It lingers long in the mouth for an unaged rum, where the notes of pepper especially bite.

It's a nice, potent and more balanced alternative to Hampden's Rum Fire, for example, if you find it too funky and bombastic. Bête a feu can easily be drunk neat, but I think I would use it in good cocktails where the rum should help to lift the flavor experience without overpowering the other ingredients.

La Perle Fine
Here we are dealing with the luxury version of an unaged rum. A1710 releases a batch of La Perle Fine every year, and I've had the 2021 edition in my glass. The rum is distilled from the juice of hand-cut sugar cane, which is fermented for 5-7 days before the liquid is distilled twice and bottled at a distillation strength of 67.5%. On paper, it sounds like something I'd love. You should too - if nothing else, at least acknowledge the solid craftsmanship.

Fragrance: Yeah, it's a blast! Tropical fruits mingle with pepper and that bloody mary-like tomato note you might have smelled in Mhoba's unaged high ester bottlings. It's funky and cool - but without being silly. And your nostrils can definitely feel the 67.5% alcohol if you angle the glass more than 45 degrees when you smell it.

Taste: A very spicy first impression. Fortunately, the tomato stays in the aroma. Gradually, the freshness of the sugar cane blends with the spices, and fruits like pear and peach emerge. This is one of the most complex white rums I have ever tasted.

I've also tasted DOK white rum from Jamaica at just over 86% with 1600 esters. That's wilder. But this is better. At least if you buy the bottle to enjoy it and not perform the rum equivalent of bungy jumping. We're at a price point where I can understand why many people think twice before spending their budget on an unaged rum. But if you do, you'll also get a pretty unique taste experience.

Cheval Bondieu
A1710 is a young distillery and Cheval Bondieu (French for the insect wandering stick) is their first aged rum. It is a blend of rums that have spent between 18 and 36 months in French and American oak barrels. The rum is watered down to 51.5%.

Aroma: The first thing that hits the nose is tropical fruit and a hint of glue. The rum doesn't need many minutes in the glass before warm spices like cinnamon and the smell of gingerbread emerge. Fortunately, it never becomes sickeningly sweet and the aroma is complex without being heavy.

Taste: Here you get notes of vanilla and cocoa, which are atypical for Agricole rum. But fortunately, it's still clear that it's distilled from fresh sugar cane juice. As mentioned, the rum is blended from 1.5-3 year old distillates, so don't expect it to linger in your mouth all evening.

At 51.5%, A1710 has created a balanced and powerful rum that you can enjoy without falling off your chair when you stick your tongue in the glass. There's a potential here that I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops as the rum is allowed to age even longer. And as far as I'm concerned, they can bottle at a higher alcoholic strength next time.

Soleil de minuit
A1710 continues its special naming and with this "midnight sun" we are dealing with one of their most expensive bottlings. It is a blend of 10 different casks with an age range of 6-20 years. But didn't I mention that the distillery only opened in 2015? Yes, and that's why these are different column-distilled bottlings that they have sourced from other distilleries in Martinique and Guadeloupe to create an exclusive blend and finish it themselves. The rum is bottled and numbered by hand. The strength is set at 46.4%.

Aroma: Orange peel is quite dominant and is mixed with distinct cask notes such as roasted nuts. The aroma has a very subtle sweetness and a hint of olive. The longer it sits in the glass, the more medicinal it becomes, so this is a complex rum with many layers to explore.

Taste: Soleil de minuit is an extremely drinkable rum that is complex and interesting without peeling your taste buds down to the roots. I taste candied fruits and distinct tannins from the old barrels. This is a blend of AOC classified agricole rum from Martinique and molasses-based rum from Guadeloupe. In a blind tasting, I would have guessed that the rum was from the Bellevue distillery in Guadeloupe.

The rum is priced high and is somewhat different from the other A1710 bottlings I've tasted in this test. But the special blend of rums also gives you a unique bottle to add to your collection. Personally, I would have preferred a higher alcohol percentage, but there is still plenty of flavor and complexity to be had

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