Dillon is a storied name on the island of
Martinique, a landmark French appellation in the heart of the French Caribbean. But upon deeper examination, it is not quite
what it appears. This French name, this French rum, has a bit of a different
story. That’s because behind one of
Martinique’s eminent rhum brands is, in fact, an Englishman.
An Englishman, who, no less, fought in the
American War of Independence, a man who, while stationed in Martinique,
eventually fell in love and married a local girl from a family of planters. He
later served as Governor of Tobago, among other notable posts. Dillon had a remarkable life, eventually
becoming a Deputy in the French government until, charged with conspiracy (a
fate all too frequent in the years after the French Revolution) he met his
untimely end. Today, this centuries-old
rum brand still honors General Dillon, in more ways than one.
We recently obtained a bottle of one of
the marque’s top-level rums: Dillon XO Hors d’age. It has a pale orange-amber color, with a very
smooth, sweet aroma of dried apricot and orange zest. Then it gets interesting: the flavor profile
is dominated by apricot, mixed in with a little pepper and orange zest; it’s
even creamy, something exceedingly rare for a rhum agricole from Martinique. It’s something different for this
island; the finish is smooth, yes, but with the slightest whisper of white wine
— giving the illusion of rum finished in Sauternes barrels.
Because this rhum, though held to the same
rigorous methodological requirements of the world’s only AOC designation for rhum,
is not quite like others we’ve tasted from the island. It’s creamy, sweet, even flowery. And if
creamy gives the impression of milk, it shouldn’t; it simply has a velvety,
oh-so-luxurious texture.
Like
its famous name, this rhum isn’t quite what one expects. And that’s precisely
what makes it so wonderful.
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