Aroma visualization from community tastings
Saint James Brut de fût 2003
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People who love wood-forward aged agricole are the audience here. This 2003 Saint James is all cedar, leather, dark coffee and dried prune, with red-berry and citrus fruit peeking through the nose before the oak takes charge. Several tasters call it "jus de bois" — wood juice — and mean it fondly. Cask strength at 56.4%, yet most report the alcohol sits well integrated.
The community says- Deep oak and spice
- Long dry finish
- Keep in mind: Can turn bitter
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10 more payment methodsLive auctions
Offers & prices
No shop currently delivers to Germany.
Auction results: 78–100 € (2 sales in 24 months, incl. buyer's premium, latest 12/2025). How the range is built ›
Buying advice
These ship to you
Yes, if you're after bold, mature, oaky rums for sipping neat.
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The look inside the bottle
How does Saint James Brut de fût 2003 taste?
From community reviews · summarized with AI
Wood-driven aged Martinique agricole Loved by oak fans for its deep, spicy, leather-and-coffee profile. The recurring catch: the wood can turn bitter and astringent, and a few prefer the fruitier Batch 1.
Aroma profileFans of oak-heavy old agricole
Anyone put off by bitter, tannic wood
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
Relative to this rum's strongest aroma family
53 of 117 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Which glass for which rum? The community guide ›
What does the community say?
117 community reviews
Rating scale & review checks
On RumX, 7 means “Good” and 8 means “Very good”.
See the full rating guideHow ratings are made and how we check them ›The website shows a selection of written reviews. The distribution also includes ratings without text. All published reviews are available in the RumX app.
47 selected written reviews
The distribution above includes all 117 ratings, including those without text.
Review by Dr.Django
Most helpful positive review
In direct comparison to Batch 1, this great Agricole from St. James falls a little short. Its big brother is more intense and drier. But this one has more fruit. Overall, I like Batch 1 much better.
Review by zabo
Most helpful mixed review
For me personally, this is a little too woody and barrel-heavy. After a few tastings of various Saint James, I would rank this one in the lower midfield. Unfortunately, this profile doesn't really appeal to me at the moment.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
06.04.2026 Retasting with Fabian in Blåvand. Still a pretty good bottling and the last of my bottle 😊 ---------- The cask is almost taking over this rum and it's dominated by oak. A heavy rum made of fresh sugar cane.
Review by Joachim Guger
Extremely dark with a beautiful red tint. Powerful, warm nose. Wood, spice and dried fruit, beautifully melted. Super! 😀😀😀😀 Fresher with a little water and a hint of liquorice. Full in the mouth. Spicy, woody. Alcohol well integrated. Malt and licorice. Tingling finish. Great Agricole 😀😀😀😀 PLV the hammer.
Review by Thunderbird
An intense and woody rum... what a taste experience... ! Absolutely top!
Review by Jean Louisss
I was expecting a slap of wood, but in the end the slap is there, but not only! It's accompanied by elegant dried fruit and dark notes of all kinds. The nose is pure sweetness that you could smell for hours. The palate is very, very woody, but still very pleasant. A fine discovery worthy of the greatest cognacs.
Review by RumTaTa
Plenty of 56% and no sting in the nose. Surprisingly fruity and little floral.The palate is first dominated by the barrel influence but then also the finer notes from the nose come through, wonderful! No alcoholic sharpness far and wide!The finish again very woody but finely nuanced.
Review by Timo Groeger
A really beautiful, golden brown rum. The nose has brown sugar, spices and wood. On the palate, the barrel/wood should definitely be emphasized. There is also dark chocolate. Thanks to Vienna for the sample.
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
Superb Saint James, very woody but elegant! I love these profiles. Tons of spices and wood on the palate, slightly masking the red fruits from the nose. "EDIT Blind advent calendar by Simon: Sample 3: * Nose: Menthol, wood, licorice, tropical fruits, leather * Palate: Woody, chili, bitter * Finish: Menthol, chili Pure juice, Saint James, Martinique?"
Review by MarcT
A nice Agricole, which has not lost its herbal elements despite the aging. However, it has too much wood for my taste.
Review by Benoit Mahe
A rum that has a lot to offer and is a pleasure to have. I prefer molasses but a top daily dram for those who prefer agricultural.
Review by Renato
Lots of European fruit on the nose. The palate is intensely woody and spicy, with a vegetal note.
Review by Vincent D
First nose surprisingly fruity. These notes are quickly dominated by wood and leather. The attack on the palate is lively and spicy. Wood, tobacco, leather. Definitely St James territory. Nice length. No big surprise, we are in familiar territory. Long and woody finish that leaves a nice spicy bitterness on the tongue. Very cool.
Review by Frank
Definitely not a standard Saint James. The fragrance fills the room. Nose: powerful, intense and dense in aromas. Initially very dark woody with fragrant, dry cedar wood. Pleasantly spicy and darkly fruity at the same time. There is vanilla with pepper, some liquorice with a hint of vinegar and an essence of eucalyptus. There is also blood orange, a fine citrus freshness and dried plum, blackcurrant and apricot. It is also herbaceous overall. Great nose. 87 Palate: very woody and spicy. Astringent at the beginning, bitter-sour, salty-peppery, then dark cedar. After the bitter tones have gone a little, it becomes metallic and iodine comes through. Nutmeg, cardamom and eucalyptus are added. Nevertheless, it is also slightly fruity with bitter orange and blackcurrant. Very dry on the back and still bitter and woody. Overall balanced, but too bitter for me. 79
Review by Lukas Jäger
Like Batch 1, a very tasty Agricole. Nevertheless, clear differences can be found from its predecessor. Less fruit, but more woody aromas and spices. While Batch 1 was still very spicy, the one year older Batch 2 is much heavier and more complex, but less pungent. The dry notes linger forever in the mouth and continue to resonate for a long time.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
the nose is promising fruity and tart, but taste me then unfortunately much too woody, sour and too bitter and dry. the rest of the sample I will process in May Tai believe there is so much wood comes good but here it is just too bad for me.
Review by Rodolphe
It took me several tastings to fully appreciate this juice. The wood reigns supreme. But in the right way. As a good conductor it makes the other flavors coexist in harmony. In the end a very greedy rum with a nice length (and great value for money)
Review by Godspeed
This is a beautiful rhum. Woody and intensely flavorful. On very first attack I get a a brief note of caramel followed by a deeply matured and almost whiskey-like cane juice taste with lots of lime and fruit and a long finish with hints of vanilla and oak. Just a pleasure.
Review by TheJackDrop
A beautiful Saint James, rather smooth where the wood is well balanced by the cane and the fruits. Tasted quickly at a fair.
Review by Fuwi
Rum tasting in Blåvand with Kevin Easter 2026 Rarely had such a beautiful rum in the glass that was so complex. The wood and alcohol are fantastically balanced, the aromas complement each other wonderfully and you can taste it calmly without it being too much. The wood clearly dominates the character but doesn't overpower, very good bottling!
Review by FabiDram
Blind guessed Saint James 🎉
Review by DosenZorn
Tasted as a 3cl sample.A wonderful red color in the glass and refreshing menthol and sugar cane notes on the nose. Followed by leather, fruit and varnish. On the palate, they continue the notes of the nose similarly. Fruit dominates at first, which is followed by pepper, licorice and wood without being particularly bitter. Alcohol is not noticeable. All in all, very tasty rum. The price of 120€/0.7l (as of08/02/2022) is quite high, but for that you get a great rum, which for me is comparable to Bielle.
Review by alex
It is round, and very good. Perfectly integrated alcohol, nice woodiness on the nose or palate, followed by spices and vanilla. Delicious 😍
Review by Guillaume Stanislav
Straightforward attack, very complex and powerful, without aggressiveness over time. A gem.
Review by Mc Pirate
And there you go! What a rum! What a nose on wood, leather, burnt sugar! It's killer!! I could spend hours sniffing it! Powerful and round mouthfeel, brown sugar returns and all taste buds are awake! A very great rum! I recognize the tasting done at Excellence Rhum! Finish on leather, tobacco, and banana leaving the throat warm and the mouth slightly numb. One of my best rums!
Review by Agricoler
Does not come close to the 2001 in direct comparison. Clearly more on the cask and spicy side. Great licorice note. For me, a bit of fruit is missing in the taste.
Review by DUBOIS Arnaud
A very good Saint James brut de fut with nutty cocoa and ripe fruit aromas and a minty finish.
Review by Fasen
The wood that plays the role of conductor sending us all the notes that the has to offer us in the taste buds.A wood juice of a very beautiful success and very pleasant to drink! 👍
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
The nose is clearly almost exclusively on the woody and other empyreumatic notes (roasted coffee, leather, tobacco, ...) as well as a few hints of fruits (apple, cherry). We know immediately that we are at Saint-James, no doubt about it! Some spicy notes (pepper-vanilla) come to conclude this nose rich in promise. It's really concentrated, a bit more fruity than its brother from the CDR. The attack in mouth is frank and vigorous on the woody.
Review by Gyuli
A moderately balanced grain agricole scent is attractive but the wood spice is somewhat strong and overshadows other aromas, which is a pity. ------------------------------- Aroma: Similar to HSE Singkay. Milder and fresher than Saint James Le Ephemeres. Melon, nuts, waxy base scent, with typical grain aromas rising as it airs. Taste: Spicy on the first sip. Once the tongue adjusts, almost no alcohol buzz, smooth and sweet. Roasted malt aroma dominates. Notes of black tea, chocolate, licorice, but the woody character is strong and masks other flavors. Finish: Dry, with a slight musty and fishy off-note.
Review by GuybrushThreepwood
Very intense, power without end, great nose that can keep you busy for hours. Slightly vegetal bitter notes on the finish.
Review by Johannes
Doesn't quite match the 1nd batch unfortunately
Review by Yves Remord
First mouth quite fatty and round. But then it is much more persistent and spicy. There, the fruits leave and wood and cigar arrive. The Saint James style comes in strongly. The finish is long and progressive. Eye and nose absolutely captivating. Overall very (too?) focused on spices. Alcohol less well integrated than batch 1.
Review by Mathieu C.
Disappointing mouthfeel compared to the very promising nose.
Review by Léo Delek
A bit more spices than on the ephemeral 6 with fruits a bit less candied, a less enveloping mouthfeel. Even if they are very close ... I give it a slightly lower rating. A rather discreet nose. Quite a bit of wood, nuts, licorice spices, cherry pits, a bit of cane sugar from the raw material. Very good.
Review by Arthur Moreau
The wood is marked but remains elegant and leaves a lot of room for greed. Pretty old agricultural.
Review by John Coffey
The first batch is much more fruity while this one is more woody.
Review by TheJona'Spirits
Jus de bois martiniquais. You've got to love the dominant wet/refied wood character that accompanies the tasting from nose to finish. Otherwise beautiful spices, different shades of driftwood, dried fruit on prune and currant. Some hints of strong coffee. A beautiful sugar cane, which, due to its aging, gives notes of liquid vanilla caramel. Not my thing, hence the score, which won't be any higher.
Review by Filip Šikula
Another beautiful old agricole rum. Nose full of fruit, herbs, spices and quite a lot of wood. Taste gentle, oily, tea, herbs, spices. Lately I've been coming to like old juicy rums more and more and this is a treat.
Review by Michal Jurka
Beautiful combo of dried fruits, dark coffee and leather.
Review by Francis Devos
Concentrated, rich but a little too woody on the finish which brings back too much bitterness
Review by Alain Masrum
Wood juice... You have to like it! Harsh, candied fruits, dried fruits, roasted coffee and the extract, the alcohol warms the palate... The cane seems burnt too... it's quite a surprising vintage... be prepared!
Review by Quentin Leseigneur
A superb red color. A very pleasant nose, followed by a complex, very woody and astringent palate. The finish is interminable.
Review by Pavel Ungr, RumRock
Vintage 2003. With an 8.6 out of 10, it ranks among the better ones I've had in my glass.
Review by Arnaud Faverjon
Too woody, bitterness and astringency, not very pleasant.
Review by Rhumain
An intense color! An intense nose! A beautiful power on the palate with a bitter and woody note. A slight fruity note comes to balance it all.
Review by RumBoe
This rum needs a decent amount of time in the glas. It needs to oxidize to develop sweet and pleasant flovours otherwise it will taste like a mix of bitter black tea and pepermint tea. However, the nose is much better than the taste.
This selection contains no written reviews in this rating range.
Expert reviews
3 critics scored it, averaging 8.7/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
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Expert review by Les amis des amis du Rhum
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Expert review by Préférence Rhum
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Expert review by Tasting Bro's
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Saint James Brut de fût 2003 at live auctions
A bid is not a final price: the house sets the buyer's premium, shipping and any customs duty.
All live auctions ›Community shelf
166 bottles logged by 133 collectors.
Both drunk and collected.
23% opened, 10 emptied.
What did the community pay for Saint James Brut de fût 2003?
Community paid 45–120 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 103 €. Price history with 2 auction results in RX+ ›
166 purchased · 118 tasted · 30 wishlist · as of
Details about Saint James Brut de fût 2003
A Rhum Agricole AOC from Martinique, distilled by Saint James, at 56,4%.
Read on in the RumX Guide
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