Elevé Sous Bois is Neisson’s entry level aged rhum agricole. At 50% ABV and with the single year of age the “Elevé Sous Bois” distinction legally requires, it plausibly aimed more at mixing than neat sipping. Neisson itself is one of the smallest agricole distilleries on the island of Martinique (according to MCR only A1710’s Rex is smaller in terms of output), and from poking around online you get the sense that the smallness of the operation helps them hold a high quality bar.

We measured a density of 0.927g/cc and a refractive index of 1.3578, indicating no additives and in line with the requirements of the Martinique Rhum Agricole AOC.

On the nose ESB brings some complexity; you’ve got the standard agricole appliness, but there’s also some deeper chocolatey notes, along with some brandy and orange blossom. The palate keeps the apple and brandy, but is remarkably sweet: toffee, butterscotch, and honey enter the melange, followed up by some oaky spice. The finish is moderately strong and leans more into the oak notes.

In our blind taste test we thought it was a good neat sipper (7.3/10) and great mixed into a daiquiri (8.4/10). So much about this expression screams “cocktail workhorse”; it’s high proof ensures it doesn’t get lost in a drink, its taste profile is interesting but also manages to play well with others, it’s a reasonably good value coming in a liter bottle, and the cherry on top is that its rectangular bottle makes it incredibly space efficient to stack two or three in a row. Neisson Elevé Sous Bois is Rhum J.M Gold’s main competition for the title of “go-to mixing agricole”, and in my book that’s a pretty high honor.

The Superficial: This bottle is functional, but delightful. It’s rectangular shape is great for efficiently stacking. Its matte label is probably cost effective, but looks and feels great. It has a screw cap, and while that’s generally not my favorite, it makes sense in the context of the package as a whole.

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.