I never thought I’d have the opportunity to taste this rhum, not only because of its scarcity, but also the price that comes along with a rhum distilled nearly a century ago in 1929 at Martinique - the @rhumj.bally Millésime 1929. A huge thank you to @maison_du_whisky_singapore for the opportunity to taste such a unicorn.

The brand J. Bally was named after its founder, Jacques Bally, whom had purchased the Lajus plantation in 1917 and subsequently the stills and all other distillation equipment from the nearby Habitation Dariste in 1923. Jacques began distilling and aging rhum agricole in 1924, which coincidentally is the first J. Bally vintage to be bottled, as opposed to the 1929 which has been thought by many to be the first.

J. Bally was also famous for its odd-shaped bottles - its stumpy conical-topped vintages as pictured, and its other pyramid-shaped bottles that may seem somewhat impractical yet curiously appealing. The distillery was shuttered in 1974, its brand purchased by Remy Cointreau and rhums produced at Le Simon Distillery in 1987. Eventually the distillation of J. Bally rhum was moved to the Saint James distillery in Sainte-Marie in 1997, and both brands have since been owned by La Martiniquaise from 2003.

The 1929 vintage is a curious one, one that dates back to a time when rhum was barely given the recognition it has today. The age of these rhums, which were distilled from pure cane juice, is a mystery, but it is for certain that they were distilled in 1929 and fully aged in the tropics. The only clue as to how old these J. Bally vintages could be is from @thelonecaner’s review of the 1975 vintage which was bottled in 1991, indicating 16 years of aging. Another side note is that this particular bottle is a more recent release of the 1929 vintage, bottled at an abv of 41.5%, instead of the earlier bottles that were of 45% abv.

The 1929 has a very lovely nose, soft, a nice mixture of herbs and vegetals, coupled with preserved orange peels, a slight peppery and a side of oregano. Within that mix is also some raisins, coated with honey, almonds, and sweet candy.

The palate brings such sweetness and clarity, oranges coated in syrup, raisins, and something that reminds me of play dough. There’s also something funky in the mix which I can’t put my finger on. Hints of marshmallows, chestnuts and a bit of amaro at the back palate too. The finish is rather short in length, with more raisins again, and paired with tobacco.

I was indeed rather impressed with this rhum, for its clarity and its layers of flavours, especially so considering it was distilled in 1929. It is after all a historical rhum, one that showcases agricole’s of old, and perhaps how early agricole producers had already envisioned their rhums to be a premium sugarcane spirit with a quality that continues to be upheld till today.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu