Libéracion 45

This is an agricole rhum from Guadeloupe, distilled on a custom-designed Bain-Marie still at Bielle Distillery. It was then aged about 3 years, exclusively in ex-Sauternes casks, then bottled by Velier at 45%.
It was quite the interesting ride. Not big, bold gnarly, briny mouthful that I was expecting given its Guadeloupe-ian origins. This was a very complex, albeit somewhat conflicted pour.
The Sauternes finish really comes through on the nose. It threw me for a loop, honestly. I had to look it up. I knew it wasn't Madeira or Cognac, but I couldn't put my finger on what it was. Once I saw it, it clicked. Aside from that it was bright and clean, with hints of orange and other citrus, butterscotch, dried coconut, and a bit of brine.
On the palate the alcohol was very subdued and well-integrated. There was not a lot of definition in the flavors. It was a sweet melange of profiles. The barrel aging really knocked down the intensity of the vegetal and brine profile, and added some wood and floral notes, but didn't bring a lot of cohesiveness or identity to the final product. It was a little bit of everything, but not an exciting amount of anything - a little floral, a little briny, with a honeyed sweetness throughout, and some hints of vanilla and coconut...
The components were all there but nothing shined. Still a fun experience though. Especially trying something aged on Sauternes.