Vinexpo, Mondial du Rhum, Salon de l'agriculture: a look back at the February trade shows

17 March 2024 | Buyer's Guide
Vinexpo, Mondial du Rhum, Salon de l'agriculture: a look back at the February trade shows

The month of February opened with Vinexpo 2024, continued with The World Rum Festival, and concluded with the Agriculture Show. For rum enthusiasts, it was a very big month! Excellence Rum buzzed from show to show to discover new vintages and keep you updated on the news. We offer you here to relive these exchanges and discoveries!

Longueteau, always elegant

We started with the space organized by Longueteau. François Longueteau introduced us to several new vintages. Among these, the Longueteau Prelude, batch 12, aged 2 years in new barrels. This one is very fruity, curiously marked by cognac notes and evolves into plant and fruity notes.

We also had the chance to retaste batch 2 of the Genesis Vieux. Fruity like the previous batch, it adds a nice cocoa note. It is an appreciable rum that will surely appeal to lovers of strong rums.

In partnership with the Maison de l’Hédonisme, Longueteau produced a new version of its Maracudja rum, this time at 35% as opposed to 25% for the classic version. This maracudja punch was made from the Genesis Blanc, at 70% ABV. It results in a strong and very fruity rum. It is a very successful flavored rum!

Longueteau Family : The News

At the end of the first semester, Longueteau will present a series called "Spirit of the Senses". It is an experimental series. The first will explore the Forests. Through a set of four 25cl bottles, we will be able to assess the aging through four different barrels from four French forests.

Longueteau is also engaging in collaborations with artists! The first vintage, which should be released by May, is the result of a collaboration with the artist SchukOne.

François Longueteau is preparing new vintages with double maturation and former Riversaltes, Sauternes, Mezcal, and Pedro-Ximenez barrels.

Shuckone - credit shuckone.com
Shuckone - credit shuckone.com
Papa Rouyo au mondial du Rhum et au Salon de l'agriculture
Papa Rouyo at the World Rum Festival and the Agriculture Show
Bille distillery
Bielle at the World Rum Festival and the Agriculture Show

Bielle, in full deployment

New to the range with the Bielle 2011! This is the Bielle white premium aged for 11 years in a former bourbon barrel. After a nice fruity attack, this Bielle, like other vintages, turns towards spices. With its nice length in the mouth, we once again salute the work of Bielle.

New cask strength with the Bielle 2016. The spicy turn is confirmed here as well. At 54.2% ABV, aged in former Bourbon and Jurançon barrels, this 2016 edition offers a spicier, more structured face than its 2014 predecessors.

Bielle Distilery : The News

Bielle will soon release a 4-year-old grey cane rum. While its release in Guadeloupe is certain, it remains to be seen if this vintage will make its way to mainland France and in what quantity of bottles.

The House is also releasing a new 2004 decanter. It will cost several thousand euros to acquire.

We take this opportunity to remind that in 2025, Bielle will celebrate 50 years since its acquisition by the current CEO, Dominique Thiery... Bielle will likely honor this anniversary.

Finally, like other houses, Bielle has international ambitions. After hiring an ambassador, the House has strengthened its team with a person responsible for international development.

Papa Rouyo, in the name of the cane

The very recent Guadeloupean brand, with its fascinating history, offered for tasting, among other things, its 2023 single cask, Eritaj. Aged for 409 days, this rum presents clear sugarcane notes enhanced by the characteristic notes of a bourbon barrel and chocolaty aspects. This is a very fine work indeed.

Papa Rouyo distillery : The News

Papa Rouyo is working on a new series of white rum, called "Single Planter". Always with the idea of highlighting sugarcane and the work of planters, this series will come from a plot selected by a planter. The first will be the Tim Synesius vintage!

At Spiribam, Canopée alert

At Spiribam, distributor of rums such as JM and Clément, we had the chance to taste the Clément Canne Bleue 2023. We can say that it is one of the best Canne Bleues of recent years. With a fermentation of more than 48 hours and its slow reduction over six months, this vintage offers a very nice balance between citrus notes (grapefruit), vegetal notes, and a pleasant sweetness. It is a smooth rum that finishes with a bitter and fresh twist that delights the palate.

But the star of the stand is undoubtedly the JM Canopée, which sold extremely quickly even before it had been tasted. The unreasonable enthusiasm resembled a gamble for enthusiasts! Did the buyers do well to pounce on this bottle?

The answer is "yes." Its notes of wood, nuts, dried fruits, and smoke give it a quite round mouthfeel. This pleasant smoothness lasts quite a long time on the palate. It is a very beautiful JM vintage.

Rhum J.M announces a second batch of the Canopée vintage

We've heard all sorts of things regarding the production numbers of this Canopée. The figures provided tell us that a little more than 4500 bottles were produced, but only a little more than 1000 for the French market. The big news is that there will indeed be a batch 2, phew! Planned for the second half of the year, they will try to produce a bit more and send a bit more to the French market. In short, we must manage the shortage... and the frustration.

Polynesian rums at the Agriculture Show
Polynesian rums at the Agriculture Show
Tamure rums at the Agriculture Show
Tamure rums at the Agriculture Show

The Martiniquaise, imposing

It's always a pleasure to see a large stand with multiple brands to taste. Without taking an inventory, we'll highlight the Famille Ricci and the Saint-James 18 years.

Famille Ricci's Aquarius vintage is quite tonic, woody, and fruity. It might be divisive due to its pronounced character, but this softens with notes of smoke and leather. It's surprising in its balance and well-constructed.

The Saint-James 18 years, the oldest Saint-James in the traditional range, is remarkable. We have a pure Saint-James with spicy notes, clove, coffee, with a deep woodiness and a beautiful amplitude in the mouth. Some nuts are added to enhance everything. It's very beautiful.

Tamure, always in the dance

Let's move straight to the upcoming releases. The Polynesian brand is preparing a column still rum! This is the white rum we know, uncut. So, it has the same notes as the 56% white rum but much more intense. Very successful!

Batch 2 of the Tamure amber rum is also ready. It's a blend of 1, 2, and 8-year-old rums that has a lot of depth, presence in the mouth, and good development on the fruity side. A real success.

Savanna, well present

Savanna was indeed there and shared her booth with Charrette. For, as little known, La Réunionnaise des Rhums is the entity that owns Savanna and the majority of the Charrette brand.

We were able to retaste the Absolu 2023 in particular and appreciate its notes of fruit and cocoa.

Savanna Distillery : The News

The Absolu 2024 will be presented at the upcoming Whisky Live. A call to enthusiasts! By the end of the year, Reunion, Metropolitan France, Belgium, and Germany will each have the right to an unshared cask.

On its part, the Artist Edition Art of Rum series continues. It consists of three vintages. The first was released last year, the second is coming out this year, and the third will be released in 2025. The artist Yann Le Gall will be honored in this episode II.

To end on an institutional note, the Réunionnaise des Rhums has a new director in the person of Mr. Thomas Guibbi.

La Part des anges, Seduction operation

The small artisanal and family distillery of La Réunion is gaining more and more followers. And for good reason, their white rums are exceptional. Three cuvées were presented:

The Sublim' cuvée, distilled from the so-called "bonbon" cane, with an alcohol content of 45%, displays round notes heavily focused on sugarcane. It’s very pleasant. The Sublim' cuvée, at 55%, is based on the same foundation, with sharper, more tonic notes, and a vegetal touch that balances the sweetness.

The star of the stand is undoubtedly the Amphora Cuvée, at 68%. While the price is impressive, so is the taste. This rum, having rested three years in a terracotta amphora, delivers notes of sugarcane, pepper, and vegetation. It is a powerful and round rum. A real favorite!

Rivière du Mât at the Agriculture Show
Rivière du Mât at the Agriculture Show
Savanna at the Agriculture Show and Vinexpo
Savanna at the Agriculture Show and Vinexpo
Because it's not just about rum: the vanilla from La Réunion
Because it's not just about rum: the vanilla from La Réunion

Rivière du Mât, straight ahead

We have once again tasted the Rivière du Mât 2004 vintage, truly very good. This molasses rum is well-balanced, with a fruity core supported by more woody and spicy notes. A comprehensive review of the range reinforces our belief that it is a solid range that deserves to be even more well-known.

Rivière du Mât : The news

Already the largest distillery in Reunion, and in the overseas territories based on the production of white rum, Rivière du Mât is striving to multiply aging capacities to exceed 5500 barrels in the coming months, compared to 1900 currently.

Reunion in force

We had to conclude with this small event that was the massive presence of La Réunion at the agricultural show. La Réunion made a big impact with 37 exhibitors. The people of La Réunion, through a clear offensive, occupied a lot of square meters and all the major elected officials of La Réunion were present.

In terms of rum, we found RDM, Savanna, Punch Chatel, Isautier, la Part des Anges, Rhum Metiss, and other producers of arranged rums. There was also the General Secretary of the SPRR, Syndicat des Producteurs de Rhums de la Réunion. We will hear about this syndicate in the years to come! La Réunion asserts and confirms its desire to move forward with a united front for export to impose the "Rhum de la Réunion" brand as the Martinicans did before them, and as the Guadeloupeans are trying to do today.

Written by

Matthieu Lange
Matthieu Lange
Spirits Advisor