Overview
Brand: Raising Glasses
Origin: Le Galion, La Trinité, Martinique
Still: Column
Age: Unaged
Finish: n/a
ABV: 62.5%
Our last review of the year sees us cracking a bottle from Boston's local independent bottling outfit: Raising Glasses. Unlike other releases, this installment of the Folklore Series focuses on a documented catastrophe, rather than a cultural myth.
Mount Pelée is a 4,583 foot tall active volcano that dominates the far northwest of the island of Martinique. In 1902, it erupted particularly violently, leading to the death of over 29,000 people in what was the 20th century's deadliest volcanic disaster.
Such is the theme of Raising Glasses Peleé's Fury, a molasses-based rum from Le Galion, which adheres to the Grande Arôme PGI. This unaged rum has an ester measurement of at least 500 g/hLAA, and was bottled at a strength of 62.5% ABV.
5% of profits from this release benefit Lesmanicobleus, an organization focusing on animal welfare on Martinique.
Appearance
Clear, low viscosity
Nose
Underripe blueberries, charred pineapple, green olive brine, green apple skin, permanent marker, pickled cactus, vinegar
Palate
Hawaiian fruit salad, blueberries, green apple skin, slightly sour red grapes, green olives, papaya, black peppercorn
Finish
Long, warm, tangy; fresh pineapple, red grapes, pear, hint of green bell pepper, permanent marker, Flintstone vitamin
Rating: 8/10
Summary
Pelée's Fury is an absolute trip, a beast of a pour that shape-shifts with each passing sip. It's one of those rums that I enjoy, but you really can't sit with a full Glencairn of this and enjoy a book by the fire; its vibe is more "half ounce nip before sprinting into a high-energy EDM festival".
The closest threads that would be weaving through each stage of sampling would be blueberries, green olives, green apple, and permanent marker. It's a mix of sweet and tangy fruit, savory umami veggies, and chemical foils like acetone and vinegar.
The forefront of the palate is a spoonful of Hawaiian fruit salad, bringing me back to the deli salad that we'd get from Jewel-Osco as a kid; sour grapes, papaya, and earthy peppercorn pop through as well. After fruits and vegetables, and more marker, the flat, minerally flavor of Flintstone vitamin rounds off the experience.
While it's strong and concentrated, grande arôme rum is a rite of passage that everybody should endeavor to complete. Raising Glasses did the rum geeks a service by bringing this to the US market, and it is a worthy send-off for 2025. Cheers, and we'll see each other in the New Year!