Marie-Louise - Rhum Blanc Bio- 2025 - 78%

Picture taken at Roche Bobois Stuttgart

It’s been a very long time since a white rum found its way into my small, illustrious collection. I must admit, quite frankly, that white rum from molasses has rarely, if ever, really impressed me. In my view, apart from high-ester rums, the cask plays an extremely important role here. However, my recent trips to Guadeloupe and Martinique have made me such a fan of white rum – and, to be honest, completely turned my whole view of rhum agricole on its head – that I’ve had to rethink the whole ‘rum versus rhum’ issue in my mind. Not that there’s ever been a debate on this, but there are two camps here that often don’t really know each other or communicate with one another.

Agricole is brilliant!! In no other rum category does the terroir from the world of wine – that is, the individual soil, variety and microclimate – come through so clearly. Owner Rodolphe Payen, heir to a long-established family of sugarcane growers, launched the Marie-Louise brand in 2020. To this end, he brought Anna Ostrovskyj – a world-leading fermentation expert and experienced distiller – onto the team as product expert and distiller. Marie-Louise was Rodolphe’s grandmother. Let’s see if her descendants live up to her name!
Brut Nature with 78%. Let’s keep a jar of water close to the scene, just in case of fire.

Nose

One sniff and you're sitting in the jungle of Guadeloupe. Wow.
An instant shock, and a positive one. What do I mean by that? That unmistakable, almost crystalline sugarcane essence. Grassy and floral without end. Unbelievably elegant and wild at the same time. Like an unknown rose in the jungle. But also the finest burnt raspberries and cranberries. A tiny trace of goat cheese, the kind you know from the Haitian Clairin Sajous, but only very, very lightly. If I didn't know Anna was behind it, I'd immediately think of a feminine energy. After a bit of breathing in the glass it opens up, and jasmine blossoms and freshly cut watermelon appear. Never fat or clumsy, always fine. Almost Mediterranean. I can hardly wait to play with water. With water: the grassiness shoots up. Now you get freshly cut hay, but on tropical meadows. A white cow with a bird sitting on its shoulder is slowly walking by.

Palate

Santa Maria, blessed be the fruit, what a concentrated energy with a butter-soft, creamy texture! Yes, theoretically we have an inhuman 78% here, and I recommend taking only a small sip, but how elegant is this, seriously?! Is this the famous, rare Canne Bleu? Sweetness and flavor without end. Totally on fine raspberries and sugarcane juice soaked in vanilla. But there’s also a distinctly plant-based, earthy and warm side to the whole thing. By ‘earthy’, I mean: roasted cassava, carob and tamarind. In other words, flavours familiar from Creole cuisine. You can't get more terroir than this!

With water: creaminess without end. Suddenly there are roasted notes of grilled sugarcane and a really long, citrusy finish.

Finish

A medium long song of cassava and tamarind lingers till it fades out. A Sade in her 30s, covered in tattoos from head to toe, dancing to voodoo drums, completely high on Francincence incense sticks. You get the picture, right?

Rating

Chapeau, Rodolphe and Anna!
What a brilliant white rhum! I've gotten around Guadeloupe quite a bit on my travels and have been able to try the distillate of practically every distillery. For me it's settled: this is the best white rhum of the 2025 harvest. And from all the islands of the Caribbean. This kind of finesse and elegance speaks for perfect sugarcane, perfect harvest, perfect fermentation, perfect distillation. And thanks to the high strength it’s possible (and a lot of fun) to play with water here.

The high price? Well, why not. Rare, delicate cane variety. Organic cultivation (love it!). Hand harvest. Five days of fermentation under constant supervision. A small boutique operation. I've always left the price out of all my reviews. Also today I won't break with that tradition.

89/100 Points

My highest score so far for an unaged rhum.