Trois Rivières really isn’t a brand that spoils us with a wide array of different Rhums, most notably because they don’t really seem to release a lot of vintage bottlings anymore. Nevertheless, we still have a few samples left in our library – which will be void of any Trois Rivières after today.

Trois Rivières Blanc (55%): I don’t really expect this to be any different from the 50% version but as this is a different bottling and since we didn’t score the former, we can just as well have this one (again). Nose: Very fresh and fruity, with a few more earthy elements. My impression today is very different from the one I have had back then with the 50% version. I get lime and related citrus fruits (grapefruit!?), a very faint scent of strawberry, sugar cane and raw pineapple perhaps. Very nice. Palate: Indeed earthier and drier than the nose suggested and I now understand where those bread notes are coming from. Think different grains and fresh flour. We still get those fruits from the nose but they don’t necessarily play the main role now. Finish: These days I am not really sure how much sense it makes talking about the finish with an unaged R(h)um but heck, this is rather long with fresh cane juice, lime, soil, old bread and grains. I like it, like most Blancs from Martinique. What else should I say!? (80/100)

Trois Rivières Canne Brûlées (43%): I am not exactly sure what this is but the name is creative, to say the least. However, this is mostly what we’d expect from a second tier IB. My research told me that the cane for this Rhum has been partially burnt right before harvest. Nose: Super sweet indeed and I now know where the name is coming from in the metaphorical sense. We get sugar, caramel and then plenty of herbs such as tarragon or marjoram, fennel perhaps and more vegetal notes such as chicory, cauliflower and broccoli. Quite a wild one, even though it doesn’t catch me yet. Palate: Not as sweet as the nose but we still get the herbal and vegetal aromas again. Especially the latter seem to be really dominant here. Then soil, compost and bio-degradable waste, hints of cinnamon and more grassy notes. Nah, this isn’t my cup of tea. Finish: Drier again, with the same set of vegetal and earthy notes from the palate. I think this is a like it or hate it one. I just cannot imagine that someone will love this. (66/100)

Trois Rivières 2001 12YO “L 17” (43%): We’ve had a stellar 2001 at full proof, let’s hope dilution doesn’t ruin the day. Nose: Plenty of papaya and guava with this one, paired with avocado, fennel seeds and cumin. Deeper in the glass I can also find cashews. This is a very distinct profile/ cask I think but I am not quite sure how good it really is. Palate: Relatively thin and fragile. It is quite difficult getting hold of the Rhum and its nuances as everything just vanishes way too quickly – something I definitely blame on the dilution. What stick is something peppery, notes of guava or papaya, some oak and a few spices, but nothing articulate. Finish: Relatively short with pepper, oak and spices from the cask. It is a fine, easy sipper, but not more than that, unfortunately. (79/100)

Corman Collins Trois Rivières “Cuvée Bèlè” 2005 13YO (52%): I have now idea why this is called a “Cuvée”, as it is a single cask distilled in 2005, but who are we!? For the record: We like Corman Collins: the people, the store, the labels, but not necessarily their selections – except for their cane juice choices! Nose: The added power from the 52% makes its presence felt immediately, in a good way. The nose is already pretty much shaped but the cask, i.e. we get lots of woody notes and different spices from the barrel. Next to that some oranges and jasmin petals as well as other related fruity and floral notes. That said, the wood and barrel notes dominate them all the time. Palate: Quite different from the nose, as we get neither those woody notes nor those floral notes anymore. Oranges are pretty much the name of the game, as are esters (oh yeah), pineapple and some sort of fruity but never artificial bubblegum. Very cool. Here and there I still get the impression that the Rhum may have been diluted but those are relatively minor concerns. Finish: Relatively long with the esters, fresh pineapple chunks, juicy oranges and increasingly dry notes from the oak. A very fun and unusual Trois Rivières, or Martinican Rhum in general. (86/100)

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