RHUM CLÉMENT, CUVÉE HOMÈRE, RHUM VIEUX AGRICOLE HORS D'AGE

MARTINIQUE, FRANCE

What Robert Mondavi was to Napa Valley, or Antinori was to the Super Tuscan movement of the 1970s, so too is Rhum Clément to the rhum agricole movement. R(h)um was once among the most popular spirits in America, but during and after Prohibition its popularity waned. Over the past decade or so, it has been experiencing a surge in popularity thanks to prominent cocktail mixologists and aged spirit enthusiasts singing its praises. The craft resurgence has led not only to more rhum in market, but a demand for artisanal selections that are authentic, unique, and transparent about their origins. Today’s offer is the extremely limited Clément Cuvée Homère: an aged rhum from Martinique that is a blend of the house’s top vintage rhums of the last 15 years, aged in re-charred Bourbon barrels and French Limousin oak. As with the finest Cognacs, Cuvée Homère is a testament to the art of blending: each vintage brings a unique flavor profile and character to the final blend. It is incredibly complex with aromas of warm biscuits and almond butter that continue to evolve into baking spice, chocolate, and pepper. Though this rhum could easily stand alongside the best Cognacs or Armagnacs, at below $100 it is a fraction of the cost. Named one of the Top 50 Spirits by Wine Enthusiast in 2013, this product received 97 points and is understandably in high demand. We acquired the very last drops available in market—only 300 bottles—for our Concierge customers.
 

What is the difference between rum and rhum? In simple terms, rum is made from molasses (an industrial byproduct of sugar production) whereas rhum agricole (agricultural rhum) is made from freshly pressed sugarcane juice. Martinique rhum, such as Rhum Clément, is the only type granted with a French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (A.O.C.) and thus has strict quality parameters for cane varieties, distillation, aging, and production zones. “The difference between rhum agricole and other rums has been compared to the difference between American Whisky and Single Malt. It’s a different [...] flavor profile not seen in any other style of rum, and its distinctive character is derived directly from Martinique’s terroir and its glorious sugarcane,” says Benjamin Melin-Jones, Managing Director of Rhum Clément. 
 

Cuvée Homère is the pinnacle of the Clément Rhum’s Cellar Master’s Selection Series and is named in honor of Homère Clément: “The Father of Rhum Agricole.” Born in 1852 in Martinique, he attended medical school at the University of Paris before returning to Martinique to practice. After Martinique’s sugar crisis in 1885, Homère Clément had the revolutionary idea to produce rhum directly from sugarcane juice and purchased a 43-acre sugar plantation in 1887 to actualize this dream; today this plantation is known as Habitation Clément and remains the source of these hand-crafted aged rhums. The Spirit Journal calls today’s limited offer “a seamless, outstanding aged rhum agricole of the finest rank” and we only wish we had more available! Act quickly to try this exciting product that is shaking up the brown spirit status quo.