La Favorite Blanc rhum agricole. This is an unaged rhum agricole from the island of Martinique in the Caribbeans. Rhum agricole is a style of rum production traditionally employed in the French-colonized Caribbean islands that uses fresh sugar cane instead of the more common molasses (more details on this style at Agricole White R(h)um). In flavor, it’s grassy and bright (sugarcane is a plant after all), and I’d say sort of comparable to the brightness you find in a tequila or mezcal (although completely different flavor profile).

La Favorite is one of the well-known (and still family-owned) distilleries on Martinique, which is the only country that has a protected designation of origin on their rum (aka AOC = Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée). This is similar to how Cognac must be from Cognac, Champagne from France’s Champagne region, Port wine from Porto, Portugal, and each with specific rules for how it’s made. This ensures that certain quality standards are met and limits significant variations in the end product. In this way, you can trust that an AOC Martinique rhum will provide a good quality representation of the style of this spirit. You’ll find the text for the AOC designation on the bottle.

Have you tried an agricole rhum? Do you have a favorite?