First Impressions
Depaz XO represents the pinnacle of this estate's range — a blend of column-distilled rums aged between eight and ten years in French oak barrels. The extended ageing on Martinique's volcanic slopes, where altitude and climate create distinct maturation conditions, has produced a rhum of genuine complexity and depth.
Tasting Notes
The nose is richly mature. Vanilla and dark chocolate lead, with dried fruit and oak complexity adding depth. There's a subtle cane grassiness that reminds you of the spirit's agricole origins, alongside coffee and leather notes that speak to the extended ageing. It's a nose that balances maturity and freshness beautifully.
The palate is mature and complex. Dark chocolate depth and vanilla richness provide the foundation, with dried stone fruit — apricot and plum — adding fruitiness. Oak tannins are well-integrated, providing structure without bitterness. The subtle cane character is still discernible, adding a grassy elegance that distinguishes this from molasses-based rums. Coffee bitterness adds complexity, and the layers unfold gradually with each sip.
The finish is long and complex. Chocolate and dried fruit layer with oak, and there's a lingering grassy elegance that ties the whole experience back to its cane juice origins.
How to Drink It
Neat, in a proper tasting glass. The complexity rewards focused attention. The French oak ageing makes it an interesting comparison with cognac — serve them side by side for a fascinating tasting exercise.
The Bottom Line
Depaz XO earns an 8 — genuinely impressive aged agricole that demonstrates what extended maturation can achieve with cane juice spirit. At £58.50, it's competitively priced for an XO-aged Martinique rhum. The combination of chocolate, dried fruit, and persistent cane character is exceptional.
