Neisson Rhum Agricole Blanc

In 2005, Wine Enthusiast named this the Best White Spirit of the Year and scored it an extraordinary 98 points — one of the highest scores any unaged white spirit has ever received, and still the benchmark most agricole blancs get measured against. It comes from Neisson, one of Martinique's smallest distilleries, producing roughly 400,000 liters a year (about what a large Kentucky bourbon house might turn out in a single week) from a single estate, Thieubert-Carbet, on volcanic slopes surrounding the distillery. After distillation on a single-column copper Savalle still, the rhum rests in stainless steel tanks for weeks, slowly proofed down to its final 50% ABV, a resting period most white spirits skip entirely but one Neisson credits with letting the cane flavors bloom and integrate. Wine Enthusiast's blind tasting found a marvelously beany, grassy nose giving way to dark caramel, chimney soot, and old honey, with a honeyed, cocoa-like palate balanced by weedy, cane-forward brightness through a smooth, memorably sweet finish. It's the reference bottle for a proper Ti Punch, and just as essential in any classic daiquiri.

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