Love Triptych – Toxic Love | Rhum Agricole Marie Galante BLLE 2008

„Oh, love isn't there to make us happy. I believe it exists to show us how much we can endure.” HERMANN HESSE

Introducing the first release in the new Love Triptych series, together with spirits expert and concept designer Rob Bauer: Rhum Vieux Marie Galante 2008, a 17-year-old Rhum Agricole distilled on Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe, in 2008 and bottled in May 2026. This opening chapter, titled Toxic Love, explores the intense contradictions of love through a remarkable single-cask rum, matured entirely in a tropical climate in a first-fill bourbon cask. With just 167 bottles released, it marks the beginning of a new series combining exceptional spirits with evocative artistic storytelling.

Made from fresh sugarcane juice and distilled in a Creole column still, this rum represents the distinctive agricultural rum tradition of Marie-Galante. Cask #199 was bottled at 51.4% ABV, at cask strength and without additives.

The first instalment of the Love Triptych, this bottling pairs a clearly defined origin, a 17-year tropical maturation and a single-cask identity with an expressive artistic concept. Its small outturn makes it a distinctive release for collectors of mature Rhum Agricole and enthusiasts of independent rum selections.

Specifications

Category: Rhum Agricole
Origin: Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe
Distilled: 2008
Bottled: May 2026
Age: 17 Years
Series: Love Triptych
Cask Type: First-Fill Bourbon Cask
Cask Number: 199
Base Material: Sugarcane Juice
Distillation: Creole Column Still
Maturation: 100% Tropical
Alcohol Strength: 51.4% ABV
Bottling: Cask Strength
Additives: None
Number of Bottles: 167
Bottle Size: 700 ml
Illustration & Selection: Rob Bauer

Emotions are running high. You don't know whether you're in heaven or hell. You love each other. You hate each other. You hurt each other. You understand each other on a deep level, but don't speak the same language. You can't let go and destroy each other. You're intoxicated.

Feverish tropical fruits and stone fruits vie for your senses. Apricots and passion fruit wrestle with one another in ecstasy, spurred on by graceful jasmine, roses and dark chocolate. A subtle smokiness, as if after a battle, hangs over the scene.

The first sip is velvety and oily, full of the natural, erotic sweetness of preserved apricots, mangoes, papaya and pears, spiced with exotic herbs. The endless finish lingers, plunging the soul into a whirlpool of desperate bliss. You want more, to let go, to lose yourself.

About Rhum Agricole from Marie-Galante

Marie-Galante is an island in the Guadeloupe archipelago with a strong tradition of agricultural rum production. Unlike rum made from molasses, Rhum Agricole is produced from fresh sugarcane juice, giving it a distinct place within the wider world of rum. Creole column stills are part of the island’s distillation heritage, while tropical maturation allows the spirit to age in the warm Caribbean climate. These elements define the origin and production approach of this 2008 single-cask release.

Rob Bauer: rob-bauer.com