Tasting of Liberation 2010 rum before finding the second part of our interview with Luca Gargano soon…

A great adventure is at the origin of this rum: in 2004 Luca Gargano (Velier) and Gianni Capovilla (recognized worldwide as one of the best distillers) decided to unite their common passion to produce in Marie-Galante an agricultural rum in an unusual way, not to say unique in the world...

Price : between 50 and 60€ for 70cl, at 45°. A price that has always seemed excessive to me, but that was before tasting it…

Age : this rum is actually the aged version of the Rhum Rhum Blanc of the same brand. Aged between 2 and 3 years in barrels that have contained great French white wines. The Rum was "released" from the barrels in 2010, hence the year on the bottle.

So here we have a rum that is surprising to say the least: it is in fact the only rum where pure sugar cane juice ferments without adding water. Only the pure juice is distilled, then a long fermentation of 10 days follows during which the temperature is controlled. In fact, here, the rum is distilled as one would distill a pear or an apple, using two small copper stills with a bain-marie and with a double distillation…

The appearance of this rum is disconcerting… I can look at its color, its legs, nothing makes me think that the rum is “only” 2 or 3 years old. If I did not know the origin or the seriousness of the two people at the origin of this rum, I would have been tempted to grumble and necessarily talk about adding caramel. But there is no doubt about it, and I remain amazed by the result of this long fermentation … Because we can never say it enough but it is the key step in the production of rum.

Even though it is very often and increasingly brief (for certain reasons of cost, and therefore of return). While everything is played out here, over a few hours/days more, on the yeast used (natural, indigenous, or… chemical) .

The liquid is slightly hazy and almost mahogany in color, with orange highlights. On the surface we can see the presence of this greenish disc characteristic of the aging of rum. The legs are heavy and thick .

The nose is incredibly fine, fruity and spicy with some floral flights . Everything is delicate and the 45° are so well integrated that we have no difficulty in plunging our nose into this delicious nectar. On the surface we note the presence of a sweet and very light smell of soft caramel with salted butter. For the fruitiness it is without a doubt on the exoticism that we find ourselves: pineapple and guava, but also orange marmalade which has its little effect.

Cinnamon and cloves give a warmer side to the whole, which also intermittently shows a certain freshness. Overall A hyper delicate nose with captivating fruitiness, on which one can dream for a long time ...

But you have to sacrifice yourself to the harsh laws of tasting, and not just smell, even if this part is always extremely interesting and enjoyable!

The attack of this Libération 2010 is as soft as its aromas, but quite firm at the same time. Because yes, let's not forget that this rum is young, even if until now it has made us forget it in a very beautiful way. We therefore find the ardor of the young rum standing tall: the orange marmalade is still there, nicely impregnated with spices and sugar cane; then this fruitiness which becomes a little more exotic to the good memory of the nose, and the spices a little more present give a good hold to the whole.

The finale… we are back here on the extreme delicacy of the beginning, it is long in the mouth and good! it is still fruity, but more lightly, by veil, as if the fruit had rejuvenated to the point of becoming flower and volatile again. The spices warm just enough to leave a beautiful imprint and a good memory. The empty glass, as very often for the great rums, continues to speak and tell its story to the most curious among us .

To be honest, it took me a while to look into this rum, given its young age and a price that seemed excessive to me at first (€60). Well, that was a big mistake… very regrettable given the exceptional quality of such a bottle.

Today, this rum naturally appears as a textbook case: have anyone taste it blind and I sincerely think that no one will doubt its age. Just by its color, we are already amazed. Where most 'commercial' rums add caramel to have such a texture, this rum is natural, artisanal and without any artifice. Think about it while tasting it, it shows us how fermentation is an extremely important step in the development of rum. Of course, monitoring, distillation and the quality of the sugar cane also come into play, including the seriousness of the master distillers, but taste and you will see 🙂

And I'm already trembling at the thought of seeing a 2012 Liberation that has aged for 5 years... Rating: 87

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

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