rum Bellevue (Guadeloupe) 1998 - 21y black label

Bellevue (Guadeloupe) 21years old
1998 - 2020, single cask rum - 55,8%
black label collection from the Rum Mercenary

whiskyfun: 91
rumratings: no score

Bellevue Guadeloupe 21 yo 1998/2020 (55.8%, The Rum Mercenary, Black Label Collection) 
Good that they mention ‘Guadeloupe’ since there’s quite some confusion between Guadeloupe’s Bellevue (Damoiseau) and Marie-Galante’s Bellevue, not even sure I’m getting it right. Even more so since the island of Marie-Galante is part of Guadeloupe. So basically, this one should be a Damoiseau from Grande Terre, located at Le Moule in Guadeloupe. Aaaall right. Colour: dark amber. Nose: gherkin brine, olives, garlic bread, menthol and liquorice. Totally love this, even if it reminds me of… Marie-Galante’s Bellevue. I must be missing something. With water: precious woods, more liquorice, earth and fern, dried bananas, cigarettes, a wee whiff of rosewood… What a fantastic nose! Mouth (neat): totally superb, these Bellevues range amongst the best rums in the world if you ask me. Liquorice poured over rotting bananas, with a dollop of crème de menthe and a lot of proper tapenade (olives and anchovies crushed together). Can’t quite beat this. With water: excellent, firm, salty and briny, with more liquorice and a touch of cough medicine. Finish: long and much subtler that you would imagine. Salty honey sauce, flaxseed, borage, cane juice, honey… Pretty exceptional indeed. Comments: always been a sucker for these 1998s, no exception here. So, I have to work on the various Bellevues – it’s typically French, why simple when you can make complicated?
SGP:663 - 91 points.