Rum French West Indies V.O. TCRL – 46%

From Panama back to Bremerhaven in one day. Possible today – unthinkable 60 years ago. It took almost a week on the luxurious Atlantic liners. Enough time to let oneself drift and enjoy the journey – for example on deck with a good glass of rum, while whole barrel loads full crossed the ocean below. The “Transcontinental Rum Line” with its selected overseas rums matured to perfection in Europe is a tribute to this era of sophisticated travel. George Bénitah has always had a flair for trends: in 1956, he founded the spirits import business “La Maison du Whisky” – and that at a time when whisky hardly enjoyed any attention among his French compatriots. In the meantime, the spirits house has become one of the best-known in the world. In 2016, the company added top-quality rum to its portfolio and has since made a name for itself as an independent bottler here, too. The rums of the “Transcontinental Rum Line” come from Barbados, Belize or the Fiji Islands, among other places. What they have in common is that they are all first stored in oak barrels in their country of origin – at tropical temperatures for rapid, intensive maturation and strong aromas. After being shipped to the French bottler, the rums mature for another two years in a continental climate. This gives them additional complexity. All rums of the line are without additives and are not chill-filtered.