Here is a first round of cross-tastings of rums from the Bielle distillery (Marie-Galante). 1st round because there are many others, between the official bottlings and those offered by independent bottlers, there is something to please yourself, and feast on, but always in moderation.

As for the history of the distillery, we will come back to it - perhaps - soon in an interview, on the condition that the managers find enough time to answer the many questions already sent (and given the number, it is a challenge). I say perhaps because since the publication of a few tests (on the alteration) of different agricultural rums (including La Favorite, Bielle and Reimonenq), silence has settled in, lastingly. We will come back to it on our side, one day or another, with a Saccharhum article , but this time dedicated to agricultural (the first one being molasses-oriented). In the meantime, these tests have been available on the FB page for several months already.

In the case of Bielle, 4 rums were tested, 3 of which (two old rums from the 80s and the 2003 vintage) contain 5 to 20g/L of sugar, and another (the Velier MG) is negative. Sugar in the form of caramel? From a secret or old maceration (sauce)? No certainty apart from the fact of alteration, and that this probably takes place after aging. Some rates far exceed a limit that some could allow themselves via a personal reading of European texts and regulations.

In any case, a request will be sent to each producer, well in advance, to clearly ask them for their position, and in order to be as precise as possible in their remarks; they are free to respond to inform the consumer, or not.

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Bielle 2006

A rum aged 4 years in bourbon barrels, refined for one year in cognac barrels, and then bottled without filtering.

An oily dress, with a gold color, rather pale, and very fat legs for this vintage rum.

The nose is light and vegetal, rather elegant with lots of white-fleshed fruits and sweet spices (cinnamon), vanilla. We find in more detail apple, pear and sugar cane, and a fine woodiness. The whole is quite simple without being very complex. At rest, gingerbread and chocolate appear.

On the palate, the attack is very soft and supple, on ripe (pineapple) and crunchy fruits, cane and spices. Beautiful suppleness on the palate where the fruits come and go, delicately enhanced by spices and oak. The finish is moderately long and pleasant, on spices (pepper, chili).

A simple rum with a very smooth mouthfeel, which may disappoint due to the low alcohol content which does not necessarily help here; too diluted for my taste. Rating: 76

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Rhum vieux Hors d’Âge / circa 80 / 42°

This rum released in the 80s by Bielle was aged for 7 years.

Very bright gold color, oily dress with a light deposit (surely an unfiltered rum), and some bubbles on the surface.

A beautifully fruity nose reminiscent of dessert wines, full of sugar and sunny fragrances. Banana, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon; The nose evokes a trip to the islands, calls for an imminent tasting, and makes you salivate. An olive scent (à la Caroni) grows in the glass and plays hide and seek with the exotic fruits for a very beautiful effect.

On the palate, the rum is creamy (viscous?), on the fruits and quickly on the olive and spices. Vegetal (grass) and again the fruits, ripe and sweet, caramelized. The finish is long, with a return of exotic fruits and spices on the way out.

A superb nose and a (very) fatty rum in the mouth, very far from the 2006 for example, and as if the rums of Bielle were used to being fatter and fruitier at a certain time. Perhaps a change in the barrels or recipe. Note: 84

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Bielle Hors d’Âge / 42°

An hors d'âge this time in a carafe, aged 10 years.

An amber color, a bright and fat dress, and greedy legs.

On the nose, a destabilizing rancio, a smell of acrid fruit, which has exceeded the consumption limits. A vegetal side (grass), green, for a style different from other rums from Bielle . Rest will improve the nose, bringing it empyreumatic notes, roasted fruits (apricots), caramel, grilled spices, sandalwood.

The mouth is oily and warm, always on these grilled notes (roasted apricots), spices (cinnamon), licorice and sugar. The impression of drinking a rum syrup. The finish is average but persistent, on notes of licorice and spices.

A rum that starts off quite strangely on the nose, but continues with the usual empyreumatic notes, fruits and spices, with always this thick sensation in the mouth, fruity and sweet. Note: 82

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Bielle 1994-2008 / 49,8°

14 years for this carafe and a 'brut de chais' at 49.8°. This is not the 'luxury' square carafe but a more classic first bottling.

An amber rum, tending towards copper, with a rich and very shiny color, pretty disk. The droplets that form take a long time to fall, it's beautiful.

On the nose, we find this heavy smell, half rancio half green herbs, a vegetal side that we tend to lose with age but which remains very present here, a tuberous note. Beyond that, empyreumatic notes, apricot tart, roasted and inevitably caramelized, spices (gingerbread), and chocolate.

On the palate, it is warm and always toasted, creamy with a lot of licorice and cinnamon, grilled dried fruits. An old woodiness, oak from old furniture. A full and tasty mouth, rich and complex. The finish is long, persistent, on these woody and spicy notes (licorice, oak, cinnamon). The empty glass is an ode to licorice, to the zan of our childhood.

The high alcohol content works very well for this vintage, delivering enough aromas and fat to mark the occasion of a great tasting. Note: 88 (non-contractual photo)

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Bielle 1994-2011 / 52°

Another 94, 3 years older than the carafe above, and still cask strength. Bielle's 'top of the range' rum, with the price to match.

Dark/deep amber color, magnificent shiny, oily liquid with a flowery crown of tears.

On the nose, we find this exotic ecstasy that gives a whole other dimension to Bielle's rums, and that we find in the bottlings of the 80s (hors d'age circa 80), we travel in fruit fields, in the middle of mango trees, banana trees, pineapples, and where each fruit is full of sugar and becomes candied. The next moment, we are delicately installed in a cozy place, in a chalet where gingerbread smokes, surrounded by old furniture with a century-old scent. Very beautiful complexity, a honeyed and candied rum, and very fine toasted notes , with a precision to cut with a knife...

The mouth is invigorating, the 52° speaks and it is the woodiness that prevails in an oily and warm mixture that catches the palate: smooth and invigorating, on the candied and old wood, liquorice and warm spices (cinnamon, white pepper). If the nose had finished rocking us in a sweet reverie, the mouth reveals a strong temperament and a biting and spicy rum, which will remain long in the mouth, with an infinite length and persistence.

Magnificent rum from Bielle at just 17 years old; a candied and empyreumatic nose, magnificently well balanced, all in accuracy, and a mouth that offers bite for a slow death that calls for prolongation. note: 93

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Tour de l’Or / 55°

One of the rums selected and bottled by Chantal Comte, directly at the distillery.

Straw color, very clear with an oily dress.

On the nose, we find a vegetal rum, on cane, citrus fruits (zest), fresh and very different from other Bielle; a light and dry woody, vanilla, and spices that warm your nostrils, and a saving menthol side. white chocolate.

On the palate, it is oily and very aromatic, on citrus fruits (zest, pulp of grapefruit, lemon), lemongrass, exotic fruits (green banana), and again this mint which gives a very refreshing mouth and, let's say it, exquisite! We find a side of pine sap, for a hyper refreshing and rich rum. The finish is long and always so refreshing, on pine sap and sweet spices.

A surprising rum, with a full and mellow mouth, very fresh on citrus fruits, marked by spices and a resinous woodiness. Another very nice selection from Madame Comte, who offers us a Bielle that is unlike any other. Perhaps the kind of 'natural' rum that the distillery can offer? Note: 91

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Tour de l’Or 2001 / 58°

Another selection from Madame Comte, vintage (2001) and aged 7 years and bottled at cask strength.

Amber color, oily and sticky dress.

On the nose, we find the Bielle leg, roasted fruits and spices (gingerbread, cinnamon) with apricot; the nose is slightly spicy, and at 58° it is better to keep your distance. The black olive, with good memories of Caroni rums is also there for a proud and conquering Bielle rum.

The attack is striking and concentrated, on the olive, the fruits and quickly a bitterness brought by the barrel (oak), hot and spicy spices (chili). The finish is long with a persistence that is only matched by the degree of the rum. It lasts a long time and ends on spices.

A rum where the imprint of the barrel is very present, bringing a slight bitterness and a relatively dry finish to a hyper concentrated rum. Note: 88

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.

From the folks behind DuRhum, Velier, and more, comes a premium online marketplace for rum enthusiasts by rum enthusiasts! Do check out www.rowspirits.fr for more great content and iconic rums!