Barbancourt Rhum 15 yo Volcanic Cane Peated Whiskey Cask

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 46.7% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Volcanic Cane takes Réserve du Domaine 15 ans a step further with the house's first cask finish. This Haitian rum from 2008 was made from pure sugarcane juice and matured for an extended period in former Cognac casks and for several months in former bourbon casks. It then received a six-month finish in casks that had previously held peated Islay whisky. The 15-year-old edition comprises 4,850 numbered bottles and was bottled at cask strength at 46.7%.

Sweet fruit and vanilla meet dark cocoa, dried fruit and peat smoke. On the palate, the smoke remains well integrated, allowing pear, pineapple, banana and the slight bitterness of orange marmalade to emerge. The rum is soft and full-bodied, with nutty notes, oak and spices sustaining its particularly long finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Dark chocolate and cocoa nibs open the nose before peat smoke joins them with almost tar-like touches. A hint of vanilla accompanies notes of camphor, mint, eucalyptus and clove. Dried fruits such as raisins and figs then emerge, complemented by subtle citrus nuances.
• Palate: The rum is rounded and soft on the palate. The more restrained, well-integrated smoke accompanies cooked pear, pineapple and dried banana. A hint of nutmeg and the slight bitterness of orange marmalade complement the fruit, while undergrowth notes lend an earthy aspect to the flavour.
• Finish: The finish is exceptionally long and intense. Walnut, cinnamon, oak, pepper and wood-fire notes shape the lingering flavours, rounded out by subtle touches of vanilla, caramel and beeswax.

Distillery/Bottler:

Barbancourt's history began in 1862 with Dupré Barbancourt. The house applied the Cognac tradition of double distillation and oak-cask maturation to Haitian sugarcane juice. Under Jean Gardère, the distillery moved to the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac in 1946. Since its full acquisition by Delphine Gardere Holdings in 2020, Delphine Gardère has led the family business as the fifth generation of the Gardère family.

Barbancourt uses sugarcane juice rather than molasses. In 2022, Barbancourt fermented the juice for around three days using its own yeasts and distilled it in a tall copper column still. Alongside growing its own cane, the distillery works with local sugarcane farmers, supporting them with harvesting, transport and the management of their plots. Volcanic Cane is produced through double distillation in copper column stills; for this edition, the cellar master also oversees the finish in the Islay whisky casks.

Facts: