While Rhum J.M Gold is the first aged rhum agricole in the J.M lineup, Rhum J.M V.O is the first in what I’ll call their “premium standard release” range. V.O, V.S.O.P and X.O all share a similar bottle design and sensibility: quality agricole rhum, with some variation in aging.

We measured a density of 0.941g/cc and a refractive index of 1.3555, indicating no additives, and in line with the requirements for the Martinique Rhum Agricole AOC.

On the nose V.O is complex: apple, maple syrup, smoke, toasted sugar, oak, dried fruit. But for all its complexity there’s something that strikes me as “clean”; a lot of agricoles, even ones that I like, can have a whiff of something “off”—almost a burnt plastic sort of note. V.O has none of that on the nose, nor the palate. What it does have on the palate is a lot of sweetness, ginger, caramel, apple, and a bit of grassiness at the tail end. The finish is moderately strong considering its 43% ABV, and indexes on baking spices (particularly nutmeg), and orange peel.

In our blind taste test we thought it was good as a neat sipper (7.2/10) and great mixed into a daiquiri (8.3/10). While it might not be the hot new thing in the Rhum J.M lineup, V.O is remarkably drinkable, and a really great introduction to Martinique for the agricole-skeptical.

The Superficial: The classic Rhum J.M package. The label has a lovely matte texture and sports a rustic illustration of the distillery. The bottle itself has a pleasant shape and a nice crest detail in the glass. The plastic stopper and natural cork strikes a balance between form and function, but swapping the plastic stopper for wood would go a long way.