Objective Notes

Very Smooth (on the RnD scale of Harsh-Smooth-Very Smooth-Extremely Smooth). 

La Favorite Coeur de Rhum nicely illuminates your glass with a beautiful color of medium dark brown mahogany.  Quite a number of distinctly agricole aromas are involved too, some of them characteristically herbal and vegetal, but all of them delicious.  There’s caramelized sugar, oaken vanilla, charred wood, anise, dry autumn leaves, leather, clove spice, dates, nearly-ripe tropical fruit and dried plum.  With its ABV toned down to 40% from the mildly overproof 50% typical of most agricole rhums, La Favorite Coeur de Rhum Vieux delivers a smooth first tasting experience, the medium weight body adding considerable creamy light chocolate and mild licorice to the palette of flavors.  For its encore, the light chocolate and caramel last for several minutes on your lips and tongue, while your throat gets treated to a drier smokey texture.  Coeur de Rhum Vieux’s complexity increases throughout the tasting experience, with new aromas and flavors being added at each stage.  Nicely done!

Anecdotal Notes

Dave – The “Heart of rhum” is what we have here, literally, when translated to English.  Artistically, La Favorite’s Coeur de Rhum really does encompass the core of what we love about agricole rhum; spice and cane-derived aromas, earthy flavors, and a need to be tasted seriously, whether sipped neat or mixed discretely in in traditional French West Indies cocktails.

Distilled in a single pass through one of La Favorite’s two copper column continuous stills from fresh sugar cane juice harvested on premises.  Aging in used American oak Kentucky borbon barrels imparts a deep color.  See an interesting brief history of the distillery at: http://www.caribbean-spirits.com/prodsheet/La%20Favorite%20Martinique.pdf

Taster’s Opinion

Dave – La Favorite’s La Favorite’s Coeur de Rhum makes a perfect after dinner digestif agricole.  It is smooth, aromatic and flavorful with just enough sweet, and it’s neither too hot nor too sweet.

Taster's Rating (10 is best):  Dave – 8.5 Flasks.

Most recently tasted by:  Dave, December 2011 at RnD’s South Tasting Room, USA.