Barbancourt’s 3 Star/4 Ans (Years)
Easy to get, easy on the palette, (another) easy intro to aged rum
Sipping tips: When you pick this up, I implore you to chew your food before swallowing. Most spirits taste harsh if you down it immediately (taking shots or drinking it like its juice): you’re blasting your palette and taste buds with high-proof alcohol. Take a small swig, let the liquid sit in your mouth, and hug every crevice for 4-5 seconds (open the taste buds). Down it. You’ll pick up all the flavors and truly know what the beverage tastes like. Once you do that 1-2 times, your palette is ready. Drink away neatly.
And to my NY’ers, I am sorry for all the wild language.
Sorry for the busted cap, the top malfunctioned. I had to take my 3-star to the 3 Star. Knife aficionados, I’m calling the police will get the reference. And because this is a quintessential Haitian rum brand, I will start you off with some quintessential Haitian music, KOMPA!
This is my s***
A disclaimer.
Last week’s release, Rum Fire, was a part of my (very unofficial) ‘these will challenge you’ rum series. I was going to release a (Hampden) Great House 2023 article today to round out the unofficial series, but chose to delay it for 2 reasons:
The Great House 2023 article will have a deep dive (Part B) into the history of Hampden and the Hussey Family (owners). I read a book back in February, whose title I’ll reveal later (shh, surprise), and sent an inquiry to the author because I think I made a connection between the author’s lineage and the Hussey family. Given the topic of the (shh, surprise) book, it would be a *pat myself on the back* type of revelation for making that connection. If my hunch is correct, and the author affirms a familial connection/gives me permission to share personal feedback, I’ll publish the book and Great House 2023 posts in the same week. Stay tuned!
For my fellow Americans, all that chatter about Havana Club’s Especial when it’s not readily available is informative but not tangible if you want something to purchase and taste tonight. So, I give you the Barbancourt 3 Star as a truce offering; It fits naturally into the (very unofficial) ‘easy-on-the-palette’ aged rum series. As Wayne Curtis said in And a Bottle of Rum – “…recommending rums you won’t be able to taste seems unsporting.” Finished Curtis’s book on Monday, review coming at some point.
Like the Rum Firepost last week, I’ll also go against the grain again: this rum article will not have a Part B (Historical, Technical). I have the 15 (Estate Reserve) in front of me and will dive deeper into the thick of things in that article.
The one on the website looks a bit more regal –
RANT TIME BECAUSE THE MISPRONUNCIATIONS HURT MY EARS.
IT IS NOT PRONOUNCED BAR-BAN-COURT (EVEN THOUGH THAT IS EXACTLY HOW IT IS SPELLED). WHEN YOU SAY THAT, I KNOW YOU DON’T HAVE HAITIAN FRIENDS. IT’S BAH-BAH-KOO. THAT’S LIKE WHEN PEOPLE PRONOUNCE ANTIGUA AS ANN-TEE-GWA. IT’S ANN-TEE-GUH. HOW ARE YOU DRINKING BIG MAN'S BEVERAGE AND PRONOUNCING IT INCORRECTLY? VAGABON!
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO CONTINUE TYPING IN CAPS FOR THIS SECTION, SO ROLL WITH ME. I AM GOING TO A CLOSE FRIEND’S BIRTHDAY GATHERING TOMORROW (WHO HAPPENS TO BE HAITIAN). LET’S CALL HIM BROOK-LEN FOR ANONYMITY. I WILL TELL HIM AND ALL HIS HAITIAN FAMILY MEMBERS THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WALKING AROUND SAYING BAR-BAN-COURT, PRONOUNCING IT LIKE IT’S SPELLED.
Brook-len gave me some very helpful ‘don’t disrespect the elders’ intel.
Do not bring the 3 Star to the function when you could bring the 5 Star. It may come off as slightly disrespectful to show up with the 4 Year (3 Star) vs. the 8 Year (5 Star). Luckily for moi, I get to double dip because the 8 Year is the only one in the lineup I haven’t tasted.
I’ve been jumping around here and there when the focus of this article is the 3 Star/4 Year. My bad, let’s get back into it. But first, a more regal version of the 3 Star bottle vs. the knifed-up version that is the cover photo of this post.
Part A – Nothing but the feels.
On the Barbancourt website, they describe the r(h)um as follows:
This rhum, part of the original collection, is aged four years in oak casks.
(Color / Nose) Light gold. Striking maturity despite its young age, top notes reveal lime, followed by tart citrus fruits.
(Palate) Entry is spicy with light woody notes, well-balanced.
(Finish) The finish is green with a note of fresh sugar cane juice.
For me, this rum is nothing special in the complexity sense, which (again) is intentional for the ‘easy-on-the-palette’ series. The flavor profile is light, manageable, and somewhat delicate (on entry, it develops a bit over time). The 3 Star is an 'okay' sipper that can introduce a drinker to 100% cane juice r(h)um, typically rested in French oak casks vs. ex-bourbon barrels (more common). There is a sharp difference in taste to, say, Appleton Estate’s Signature (review coming on that, too), which would be most similar to the 3 Star as far as age goes.
A decent amount of grassy smell to the r(h)um, a sort of woodsy-ish perfume mixed with cooked-up sugar cane (or, I suppose, extracted sugar cane juice). Mild taste all around. Perfect for someone who needs an introduction to a “standard” Haitian aged r(h)um. As you sip it, it gets sweet and grassy (but not overly grassy). Feels like you’re drinking something from the earth (in a rum way, not a green juice way).
Surprisingly good mouth feel – light viscosity/syrupy touch. Solid intro r(h)um that (admittedly) barely scratches the surface of what Haitian r(h)ums true potential is. Those reviews and r(h)um profiles are for later posts.
For a sneak peek of what I’m referring to (i.e., how good Haitian r(h)ums get), here’s something I tasted last weekend that was very, very good and represents “a blend of 5 of [Haiti’s] distilleries.”
To be fair, you can taste directly from the individual producers instead (vs. the multi-distillery representation I highlighted). Because if you have a taste of Clairins (for instance)…
If you typically use low-aged r(h)ums in your cocktails, substitute your go-to for the 3 Star and see how it holds up in your beverage. Note: cocktails aren’t really my lane, so that’s about as good as I can do regarding recommendations.
Till next time.
Like the 4 Year product standing next to the 8 Year or 15 Year, this post is meant to be an easy introduction to Barbancourt’s aged inventory. We’ll dive deeper as I get around to sipping/writing about more of their stuff.
Nonethless, I hope you enjoyed this review. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the 3 Star/4 Ans even more. Beyond the beverage, my goal is for you to walk away feeling an ounce more knowledgeable than you did however many minutes ago. If so, then mission accomplished. Cheers.
#rumresponsibly
