Courcelles 1972 is a 47-year-old Rhum Vieux from Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, drawn from the estate’s last historic distillation and bottled in February 2019 at 42% volume. It is an old molasses rum rather than an agricole, which gives the bottle a rare place in Guadeloupe’s rum history. AGEING: the spirit first matured in oak casks, then moved into large oak foudre to slow evaporation while allowing oxidation to continue. That long, careful holding explains the mature structure without needing a separate finish or cask-seasoning story. SUGGESTIONS: serve neat at room temperature in a tulip glass, with time in the glass before tasting. Keep it out of cocktails; this is a historical bottle for slow service, suited to a quiet after-dinner pour or a mild Dominican cigar.
Tasting notes
Deep amber copper.
Guava, roasted pineapple, mango, candied orange, mild spice and a faint iodine edge.
Cane syrup, passion fruit, apricot, soft oak, mint and marzipan, with controlled sweetness.
Light, clean finish with orchard fruit, verbena, tobacco leaf and gentle oak.
Courcelles belongs to Grande-Terre’s sugar-estate history, where molasses-based rhum de sucrerie stood apart from the cane-juice agricole tradition of Basse-Terre. The domaine was founded in the early 1930s by Amédée Huygues Despointes; after the original site closed in 1964, its stills moved to Sainte-Marthe, preserving the name through the island’s final old stocks.
RumX — Courcelles 1972 community review
RumX — 2026 community rating · 8.1/10 from 8 reviews
