Nobilis Montebello No. 22A Brut de Colonne Agricole Rum 2019
Yes, the number is real: 82.8% ABV. The Nobilis Montebello No. 22A is a "brut de colonne" — an unaged cane-juice agricole bottled at the natural strength it left the column still at the Carrere distillery in Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe, with no water added and nothing taken away. Danish bottler Nobilis Rum filled just 235 bottles of cask-range rarity; spirits this strong are classed HAZMAT for air freight, which tells you how rarely they travel. It is the most extreme bottle in our rum collection — and, remarkably, one of the most aromatic.
- Distillery: Carrere (Montebello), Petit-Bourg, Guadeloupe
- Style: Unaged rhum agricole, fresh sugarcane juice
- ABV: 82.8% (165.6 proof) · Size: 700mL
- Still: Column · bottled at natural column strength ("brut de colonne")
- Outturn: 235 bottles · Nobilis Rum, Denmark
The Story
The Marsolle family has distilled at Carrere since 1930, in a steam-powered distillery that is a piece of living Guadeloupean heritage; its rums are sold as Montebello. Almost all brut de colonne stays on the island, sipped by those who know — Nobilis, the Danish independent bottler, specialises in hunting down exactly these kinds of casks and micro-lots. The rum community rates this bottle 8.3 out of 10 across dozens of reviews, praising how the alcohol reads far lower than the number suggests. Compare it with the very different aged Guadeloupe style of the Bedford Park 8 Year Old Guadeloupe Single Barrel Rum 2016.
Tasting Notes
Ripe honeydew melon and fresh-pressed sugarcane juice lead, with jasmine and green, vegetal notes and an almost oily texture. The finish is long, warming and astonishingly composed for 165.6 proof — cane sweetness and white flowers rather than fire.
How to Enjoy
Tiny pours, a drop of water at a time, and patience — treat it like a perfume-strength distillate and it rewards you. Adventurous bartenders use measured dashes to supercharge a Ti Punch. If high-proof rum is your thing, meet its Jamaican cousin in the Raising Glasses Full Circle 110 Rum, and browse more extremes in our Rare & Top Shelf collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "brut de colonne" mean?
It means the rum is bottled at the natural strength it came off the column still — undiluted and unaged — here an extraordinary 82.8% ABV.
Why is it called HAZMAT?
Spirits above 70% ABV are classified as hazardous material for air transport, so very few bottles like this ever leave Guadeloupe.
Is it made from molasses?
No — it is a rhum agricole, distilled from fresh sugarcane juice at the Carrere distillery.
Two hundred thirty-five bottles of lightning, available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor — handle with curiosity and care.