Trois Rivieres Blanc 50%
Tasted: Oct 2014
The aromas are quite full and fleshy with slightly oily white fruit, vanilla and some oily, medicinal notes. A very natural feeling nose with a light earthiness and as it is only rested in large wooden vats the oak is influence is pretty subtle.
The palate is earthy and full with a seriously powerful shredded sugar cane character. There is some lightly oiled ‘off the still’ notes but the middle is wonderfully peppery. Long, sp[icy, slightly medicinal finish.
Trois Rivieres Blanc Cuvee de L’Ocean 42%
Produced from sugar cane grown in fields on the south coast of Martinique and influenced by the Atlantic Ocean.
Tasted: Feb 2017
Immediate maritime, salty notes greet the nose along with subtle ‘off the still notes’. Quite rounded with a touch of oily dried fruit and pulped sugar cane. The agricole character is pretty subtle but noticeable.
Salty, earthy and subtly vegetal. Like the nose it displays plenty of pulped sugar cane, which is quite Tequila-esque. A touch of spice and sweet, dried fruit come through on the middle. Lovely, earthy finish with a subtle rose petal marc-like note and finally a light, toasted plant fibre note.
Trois Rivieres Ambre 40%
Column Still – Aged for 18 months in French Oak Vats
Tasted: Sept 2014
The nose is not surprisingly pretty youthful with plenty of menthol and camphor. Very fresh and sinus clearing, with a touch of white fruit and berries. With time a touch of earthy spice and smoke appears.
The palate is soft and a little caramel flattened to be honest, which is a surprise given it is aged in large vats. However there are hints of menthol and oily dried fruit. Good length with a slightly bready note in the finish. In conclusion the palate is a little disappointing after such a lovely, fresh nose.
Trois Rivieres Cuvee du Moulin 40%
Column Still – Aged for minimum of 3 years in ex-Cognac casks
Tasted: Sept 2014
The nose opens with some lightly marzipan coated dried rummy fruit and oxidised Cognacy fruit. Hints of granulated sugar, camphor, mint and eucalyptus.
Lovely and soft on the palate with Cognac rancio coming through first followed by menthol, sweet apricot and sultanas. Gently spiced but building rather pleasantly. Lightly oiled and herbal finish with an almost salty after-taste. I must say that I loved the combination of rum and cognac rancio’s.
Trois Rivieres Cuvee de Moulin 40%
Re-Tasted: May 2015
Fresh and crisp, classic Agricole aromas of medicinal/ herbal notes and dried fruit. Hints of sappy oak and Cognac dried fruit comes through with a lovely vibrancy.
The palate opens with the lightly earthy dried fruit, followed by medicinal herbs and dusty oak. Soft and supple with a greater earthiness than the nose suggest. Long, grippy oak finish with lingering earth and drying tannins
Trois Rivieres 5 year old 40%
Tasted: Sept 2012
A seriously intense and pungent nose. Aromas of thick liquorice and loads of Bourbon oak greet the sense. The argicole rancio puts me in mind of a good rye whisky with the buzzy spice and medicinal camphor freshness. Really complex and intriguing with some late pepper, iodine and bandage notes.
The palate is lighter than the nose would lead you to believe, but no less complex. There is more of the agricole rancio with a touch of spice and buckets of medicinal camphor, followed by hints of liquorice, rubber and thick cane sugar juice. Very long with the Bourbon oak , which until now just added weight coming through pleasantly and a return of the vegetal dried fruit. Superb stuff!
Trois Rivieres 5 year old 40%
Re-Tasted: Sept 2014
More pungent and robust than the Cuvee du Moulin with a lovely, perfumed cane sugar sweetness. Plenty of buzzy agricole spices mingle with medicinal/ camphor agricole rancio, oak, oily sultana, camphor and some dusty cigar box notes. With time it becomes quite perfumed and a hint of gingerbread emerges.
The palate is lightly oiled and gently sweet with the palate displaying more sugar than the nose, which hides the fruit to a certain extent. However all is not lost as it freshens towards the middle as the medicinal, eucalyptus and camphor notes arrive. That cleansing allows the gorgeous dusty spice and tobacco notes to come through on the finish.
Trois Rivieres 5 year old 40%
Re-Tasted: Mar 2016
Heavy, oily medicinal, vegetal, band-aid, iodine and salty agricole character mingles with some cane sugar sweetness and rich dried fruit. With time a subtle spice and cigar tobacco note emerges.
The palate opens with more of the dried fruit and nuts, which makes it feel fuller. Quite salty on the middle with plenty of medicinal agricole notes and a subtle tannic grip. Long and earthy with spice, tobacco and lingering medicinal notes.
Trois Rivieres 8 year old 40%
Aged in 100% American Oak
Tasted: Sept 2014
Wow! Now that’s a complex nose! Beautifully balanced with herbal honey, cane sugar, toasted almonds, dense apricot and lightly oily dried fruit mingling with hints of petrol, camphor, minerals, pepper, liquorice root, dark chocolate and wonderfully dusty spice. A simply stunning nose.
The palate is gentle and wonderfully expressive. Juicy sultana and dates mingle with a lightly oiled rancio of camphor and mint. Quite dusty and a little tannic on the middle but the medicinal agricole notes build magnificently along with a slight petrol note. Stunning length. Very clean and crisp as the citrus and minerality shoots though, leaving an after-taste of pepper and almost pulped fruit along with hints of straw.
Trois Rivieres 12 year old 42%
Tasted: Feb 2017
Pungent aromas of agricole dried fruit and Boubony oak. Slightly salty and citric with an almost herbal rye-like note, which would possibly, indicate some first fill American oak casks have been used. Late hints of charred wood, coffee, wood smoke and medicinal notes. Stunning nose!
Light in body, but deep and complex with rich, dried, agricole fruit, herbs, citrus, salt and lightly bittering oak. Hints of coffee grains and vanilla follow but the crispness of the spirit balances beautifully. Long, mature and elegant with a stunning cinnamon and salt finish along with lingering gritty oak and menthol. Now that is a fine rum!
Trois Rivieres Vintage 1999 (15 year old) 42%
Aged in 50% American Oak, 50% French Oak
Dist: 1999 Btl: 2014/ Tasted: Sept 2014
A darker nose than the 8 year old, showing more macerated pruney fruit, tobacco and an almost molasses-like richness and thickness. Extremely peppery with plenty of medicinal camphor and dusty, cigar ash tray spice notes.
The palate has a lovely softness but it is quite woody and spicy. Hints of ginger and cinnamon can be discerned amongst the light, dried fruit. Again it is pretty bold and molasses-like with hints of tobacco and cigar leaf. A stunning, intense and mouth-watering finish with wave after wave of medicinal camphor, violets and stewed fruit coming through. The sugars take the edge of the slightly higher abv, but not the intensity! Good stuff!
Trois Rivieres ‘Fut Unique – Single Cask’ 44.8%
Missouri Oak cask 124/ Dist: Oct 1998 Btl: 2008/ Tasted: Sept 2012
A deep, dark, brooding nose which displays a pungency akin to a peated Rye Whisky with a light medicinal vegetal rancio. Stunningly deep and thick with herbal liquorice coated dried fruit, vanilla and a touch of wood smoke.
The palate is lighter and subtler with more of the herbal agricole spirit showing and less of the oak. Hints of dusty, damp dunnage floors mingle with that beautiful spicy rye like notes. Seriously intense and mouth-filling with a fair degree of wood tannins, which are to certain extent balanced by the liquorice and sweet dried fruit. Exceptionally long, with a powerful medicinal, band-aid, iodine, and dry, dusty spice finish. Absolutely stunning. Monumental stuff!
Trois Rivieres ‘Fut Unique – Single Cask’ 44.8%
Missouri Oak cask 124/ Dist: Oct 1998 Btl: Oct 2008/ Re-Tasted: Sept 2014
The nose is softer than the 1999 vintage with the emphasis firmly on the oily, dried fruit and demarara sugar. Its medicinal, oily, tarry character is very reminiscent of Islay and the lovely sweet spices put me in mind of a rye whisky. The wood does creep in over time along with a touch of liquorice, tobacco and sweet violet.
The palate has a lovely, subtle sweetness. Again the emphasis is on the oily, dried fruit and gingery spices. The sugars come through quite forcefully on the middle with a slight molasses note, but they are balanced by the alcohol and medicinal notes. Stunning length with tobacco, liquorice and a light saltiness joining the dried fruit. A superb cask!
Trois Rivieres Single Cask 2005 (7 year old) 46.7%
Limousin Oak cask 4/ Dist: June 2005 Btl: Apr 2013/ Tasted: Oct 2014
Dense, dark, pungent and slightly woody with lightly oiled, rich dried raisin, fig and sultana. Very deep and amazingly complex with hints of liquorice, camphor, iodine and demerara sugar. It becomes a little grainy and whisky-like with time as some charred oak notes appear. Poised and elegant with a late, lush dark honey note.
The palate is intense and woody with chocolate and toasted oak, followed by medicinal camphor and an almost peated note. Bold, mouth-filling with a seriously rich dried fruit rancio. Slightly earthy with a lingering prune, tobacco and marzipan. A little, lightly bittering wood spices comes through at the end. Absolutely stunning!
Whisky According to Chris Whiskyman 