Tasting Notes for Le Rhum par Neisson 52.5
Nose: This rum gently surprised by the finesse and delicacy of its slightly sweet notes of liquorice and aniseed
Taste: Sugar cane carries through the body highlighted with citrus, fruit and floral notes
Finish: Intense and clean, almost palate cleansing, with a pleasantly subtle sugar cane note
Overall: A perfect rhum blanc, clean and delicately refined.
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Since its creation in 1931, the Neisson distillery has preserved the purest tradition Martinique agricole rum. A grain to glass operation, Neisson control their entire production and their rhum is made to Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) guidelines.
Neisson Le Rhum par Neisson 52.5 is produced from 3 different non-hybrid types of sugar cane grown on their plantation beside the distillery. The sugar cane is pressed and the juice is fermented for more than 72 hours, the longest of all agricole rhum producers. Rhums at the Neisson distillery have all been distilled using the same Coffey still which was installed in 1938. Le Rhum par Neisson is left to rest in a stainless steel vat for 6 months to mellow (wooden casks are generally not used as the wood would interfere with the flavour profile) before being bottled at 52.5% abv. -
Born in 1932 during the interwar period, on a twenty hectare property acquired by the two Pamphile brothers, Neisson has remained a family business. Of the two brothers, Adrien started the distillation business on the island, while Hildebert, known as Jean Neisson, continued his studies in chemistry on the continent. He then created an import-export company, with the aim of selling the family's rum in Europe. At the start of the 1950s, Jean Neisson traveled to Martinique and his participation there took on even greater importance in his life. In 1952, he designed the now recognizable square-shoulder bottle ’and had a Savalle column installed, the performance of which he himself improved. Following the death of his brother in 1971, Jean Neisson returned to settle on the island, in order to pass on his knowledge to his nephew, who is none other than Grégory Vernant, the current master distiller. However, Jean also disappears, before his "apprentice" is old enough to take over the distillery. It was then the sister of Jean Neisson, who would take care of it until her death in 1995, then partnering with a master distiller, so as not to abandon production. Another lady then takes over, Claudine Neisson, daughter of Jean, putting aside her career as a biologist to devote herself fully to rum.
The smallest distillery on Martinique, and the last family-owned distillery on the island of Le Carbet, Neisson resembles a complex kaleidoscope of green and pink houses, as if they were trying to imitate the luscious surrounding vegetation. Three generations have succeeded one after the other at the head of the distillery, preserving the skills and expertise of the greatest Martinique tradition. Grégory Vernant-Neisson, in his early forties and currently at the head of the distillery, describes their Martinique Agricultural Rum AOC: “The most important thing to understand about Martinique rum from is that it’s produced directly from sugar cane juice, and not molasses.” Behind the Neisson philosophy lies a great respect for the value of the land and its properties.
Martinique, with its volcanic soil and climate (particularly in the north of the island where the distillery is located) has a particularly strong influence on the aromatic palette of Neisson Rums and their unique flavours. Neisson owns forty hectares in the municipality of La Carbet, and processes only the cane from his plantations, where they seek to cultivate three non-hybrid sugar cane varieties: the malanoi, the rubanée and the crystalline. The sugar cane harvest (and hence production schedule) lasts from February to late June meaning the distillery produces rhum on a limited basis, with barely 400,000 litres released each year. The slow fermentation of pure cane juice lasts 72 hours, the longest in all the French Antilles, uses their own two strains of yeast which are the result of extensive research into varieties naturally present in the biotope, further developing a unique aromatic range for Neisson rhums. -
Producer Distillerie Carbet Neisson Style Rum Age No age statement Volume 70CL ABV 52.5%