Neisson 12 Year Old Rhum Agricole Vieux
Neisson · Distillerie Neisson
One of the most articulate expressions of aged Martinique agricole made today — a rum where every decade in cask has been earned, not imposed.
Nose
An opening of candied orange peel and toasted almond gives way to warm patisserie notes — vanilla custard, brown butter, and a whisper of cocoa nib. Beneath, the signature Neisson grassiness has mellowed into something more like dried tobacco leaf and old cedar.
Palate
Silken and generously oaked without heaviness. Layers of stewed apricot, molasses cake, and salted caramel unfold over a spine of ripe sugarcane. Mid-palate reveals baking spice — clove, cinnamon bark — with an unmistakable maritime salinity that anchors the sweetness.
Finish
Remarkably long and evolving. Dried fig and orange marmalade lead into leather, pipe tobacco, and a lingering echo of vanilla-laced oak that persists for well over a minute. A gentle warmth without heat.
- Base Ingredient
- Fresh-pressed sugarcane juice from Neisson estate-grown cane
- Distillation
- Single-column Savalle-style creole copper still
- Country
- Le Carbet, Martinique
Cocktail Suggestion
The Long Echo — 2 oz Neisson 12 Year Old, 0.25 oz Amontillado sherry, 2 dashes orange bitters, 1 dash Angostura. Stir over ice for 20 seconds; strain into a chilled coupe. Express an orange peel over the surface and drape along the rim. No garnish beyond the oil.
Food Pairing
Aged Comté (24 months+) with toasted walnuts and a smear of quince paste; or a dark chocolate tart with sea salt and candied orange.
Founded in 1931 by brothers Jean and Adrien Neisson on the northern slopes of Mount Pelée, the distillery remains one of the last family-owned agricole houses on Martinique, still crushing its own estate-grown cane on original Corliss engines.
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