Caribbean Connection

15 year old Vintage from Martinique

It’s never easy for lovers of rhum agricole in the United States.

Supply of the cane-juice nectar of the French Caribbean has always been scant in America, with just a few brands that have even entered the market in the last decade.

The two companies with the biggest presence have always been Martinique’s Rhum Clement and Rhum J.M, whose entry to the market a little over a decade ago was a very welcome development.

Even so, finding those companies’ most sought after expressions in the U.S. has often been next to impossible.

Rum lovers have always had to make the trip to Martinique, St Maarten (or the Caribbean Rum Awards in St Barth this month) to even have a chance to find the best bottles.

There’s one exception, and U.S.-based rum aficionados probably recognize it: it’s the Rhum J.M with the leather label, the one that’s always at the corner of the back shelf of the liquor store. For those who find it, it’s a collector’s item: the 15-year vintage, almost always the single-best bottle of rhum agricole you can buy off the shelf in the United States, a sought-after expression for one of the island’s most venerable distilleries. And now it’s back again, this time from 2003, with an even more beautiful wooden-frame packaging, a new look for what was one of the best JM vintages of the last decade. It’s instantly a collector’s item.

So what’s it actually like?

This 41.8-degree expression has that classic J.M amber color, with an aroma of citrus peel, cane stalk, chocolate orange and a hint of herbs.

The flavor profile is marked by oak, citrus, dried cherries; carambola; apple; tobacco; a whisper of white pepper; all working in exquisite harmony, the concerto that can only be played by a pure cane juice rum.

The finish is long, luscious and velvety; it just keeps going and going before it softly fades away like a

Wild West horizon. It’s just astonishingly good; a spectacular expression from a wonderful vintage; the kind that always finds its way to the top shelf of your collection.

And the kind of bottle for which it’s never easy to stay on the shelf. Rum Journal Review: 97 Points

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American travelers are helping to fuel the tourism rebound in Jamaica, officials said this week.

That increased demand is leading to an expansion in airlift to the Caribbean island.

That includes American Airlines, which will be up-gauging its aircraft on Montego Bay flights from Miami, Philadelphia and Dallas-Fort Worth, with new wide-bodied 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on those routes.

Southwest Airlines is also increasing its flight service to Jamaica, with the carrier now very close to its pre-pandemic lift to Jamaica.

The numbers are borne out in the island’s hotel performance; travel giant Expedia says room night passenger growth metrics are exceeding the same period in 2019, before the pandemic.

“American, Southwest and Expedia are all critical partners for Jamaica’s tourism sector, and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors in the near future,” said Jamaica Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett. “Confidence in growth for Jamaica’s tourism remains strong and we will maintain our world-class Jamaica CARES health and safety protocols, including our Resilient Corridors, to ensure a robust winter.”

For more on how to visit Jamaica log on to www. visitjamaica.com

The OTC is happy to partner with Alexander Britell, Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the Miami, Florida based Caribbean journal, and his staff. Check them out online at caribjournal.com for valuable information on all of the fabulous travel options and things of interest in the Caribbean.

Jamaica Has the Fastest Runners on Earth Jamaica Produces the Most Music per Capita Jamaica Has the Most Churches per Square Mile Jamaica Has the Most Rum Bars per Square Mile Jamaica Is the Top Consumer of Cranberry per Capita Jamaica Has a Bobsled Team The James Bond Series Was Written in Jamaica Jamaica Was Once a Spanish Speaking Country Jamaica Is Home to Beautiful Women Jamaica Supports Equal Rights for Humanity

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