Rum, Jamaica

More empyreumatic and wild than the version bottled at 47%, this cask strength Papalin is a very subtle combination of minerality and creaminess. Its tarmacy and yet very rich finish is the perfect example. With remarkable freshness, the flavor and aroma palette also reveals a floral character with deeply natural and sensitive rustic tones.

Tasting Note

Appearance: Deep burnished gold.

Nose: Lively yet refined. On the first nose, fine empyreumatic notes (diesel, tyre) appear alongside especially deep notes of vanilla, candied citrus fruit (lemon, grapefruit) and green liquorice. Allowed to breathe, the aroma palette becomes slightly camphoric and spicy (ginger, nutmeg). Increasingly fruity (pear, pineapple), it develops roasted (coffee) and floral (vetiver, lime blossom, chamomile) registers, as cane sugar fragrances spread through the air.

Palate: Rich, powerful. Starting exactly where the nose left off, the attack reveals very smooth flavors of cane sugar. Enveloped in a fine layer of salted butter caramel, the mid-palate is particularly fruity (pear), floral (geranium) and medicinal (ointment, incense). The end of the palate is deliciously vegetal (sugar cane, liquorice stick) and at the same time rich (coffee clair, mocha).

Overall: Long, rich. The floral start of the finish (dandelion, daisy, buttercup) is luscious (meadow), lemony, vanilla and mentholated (chlorophyll). The very creamy and unctuous end of the finish (rice pudding, semolina cake, rum baba) is very chewy. The slightly tarmacy (hot asphalt) retro-nasal olfaction releases a deliciously salty and sapid minerality. With time, artichoke heart and cocoa powder literally surge from the empty glass.