Most white, unaged rums are made industrially, that is, from the molasses byproduct of sugar refining. But not Rhum Clément on the island of Martinique in the West Indies. All of its rums, including the whites, are labeled agricole, meaning agricultural, distilled from the fresh-pressed and fermented juice of sugar cane. The company has now renamed its basic white rum as blanc agricole and with leaner packaging, among other efforts, has reduced the price. It’s 80 proof, a blend of several varieties of sugar cane and while assertive has floral and citric notes. Rhum Clément also makes another one, slightly mellower in flavor: the Canne Bleue, 100 proof, from a single type of sugar cane.
Rhum Clément Agricole Blanc, $29.96, astorwines.com.
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