Raising Glasses Ethereal 3 Year Old Madeira Rum 2020

Raising Glasses Ethereal 3 Year Old Madeira Rum 2020 is a Madeira Island agricole rum bottled by Raising Glasses, the American independent bottler run by husband-and-wife team Lorri and John — Folklore Series #15, and in the bottler's words the first Madeira rum from a US indie bottler. It comes from O Reizinho, the tiny distillery on the Portuguese island of Madeira that has become a cult name among agricole drinkers. Madeira has grown sugarcane since the fifteenth century, before the Caribbean did, and its rum is made in the agricole style from fresh-pressed cane juice rather than molasses; O Reizinho distills that juice, fermented and run through its pot still in 2020, into a heavier, grassier spirit than the column-still agricoles of Martinique. The rum spent three years in French oak casks that previously held Madeira wine, the island's fortified specialty, and was bottled at cask strength, 60.4% ABV (120.8 proof), with no sugar, coloring or other additives, in a 375mL bottle. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• Proof / ABV: 120.8 proof (60.4% ABV), cask strength
• Size: 375mL
• Age: 3 years (distilled 2020)
• Distillery: O Reizinho, Madeira, Portugal — fresh sugarcane juice, pot still
• Cask: French oak casks that previously held Madeira wine
• Series: Folklore Series #15
• Origin: Madeira, Portugal

An Agricole Obsession, Bottled

Madeiran agricole was, by the bottler's own account, an obsession long before Ethereal existed. Raising Glasses describes the release as a blend of three-year French oak Madeira casks from O Reizinho — a distillery small enough that its whole output is a rounding error for a Caribbean major, which is exactly the point of a bottling like this: young, loud and unusual, reading more like a fiery young eau-de-vie than a sweet Caribbean pour. Cane-juice devotees will find more agricole and single-origin bottlings in our rum collection and on the rare and top shelf shelves.

Tasting Notes

Raising Glasses describes Ethereal as savory and vegetal, with tarragon, toasted almonds and candied pear over a zingy rhubarb finish — the grassy pot-still cane character of O Reizinho framed by the nutty, fortified-wine depth of its Madeira casks.

How to Enjoy

Give it a small pour neat first, then a splash of water to soften the 60.4% cask strength and pull the candied pear forward. It also stands up beautifully in a split-base daiquiri alongside the cocktail rums in our spirits range.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Madeira rum different?
Madeira grows sugarcane since the 1400s and makes agricole-style rum from fresh-pressed cane juice. O Reizinho pot-distills that juice, giving a heavier, grassier spirit than column-still Martinique agricole.

What casks was Ethereal aged in?
French oak casks that previously held Madeira wine, for three years after its 2020 distillation — the island's fortified specialty seasoning its own rum.

How strong is it and what size is the bottle?
Cask strength at 60.4% ABV (120.8 proof), in a 375mL bottle, with no sugar, coloring or other additives.

Pick up Raising Glasses Ethereal at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — a tiny island distillery, bottled loud.