Aroma visualization from community tastings
J. Bally Millésime 2003
The surprise here is how gentle this aged Martinique agricole plays for the style — the grassy cane bite is dialed way back. Expect baked pear with honey and thyme, noble oak, leather, tobacco and a light varnish note. Fruity, floral, easygoing. The catch several tasters flag: a lovely nose that promises more than the short finish delivers.
The community says- Baked pear notes
- Noble oak
- Short finish
View price history
Secure payment Sold by Rum Stylez Returns & cancellation
- Secure payment. You pay via RumX with PayPal, Klarna or card. Your payment data is encrypted and we never store your full card details.
- Clear seller. Sold and shipped directly by the partner shop. And you're never on your own: RumX handles support and communication with the shop, so you always get excellent service, whichever shop you order from.
- Honest shop ratings. The stars show your service experience with the shop, not the rum score. They come from RumX users, and critical ones stay visible.
- Returns & cancellation. Your purchase contract is with the shop, so returns and cancellations run through them under their own policy and your statutory rights. If anything goes wrong, RumX helps you sort it out.
The look inside the bottle
How does J. Bally Millésime 2003 taste?
Aggregated from 47 community reviews.
Soft, fruity agricole with a short finish Well-liked as a relaxed everyday agricole — balanced, fruity, softly woody. The recurring gripe is the finish: short and light, sometimes almost too soft, leaving the great nose unfulfilled.
Agricole fans wanting a mellow everyday sipper
People who want a long, punchy grassy finish
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
23 of 47 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
How is J. Bally Millésime 2003 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 7.9 sits in the “Good” band. 85% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 2% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Community voices
What does the community say?
62% rate it between 6 and 8. 16 selected write-ups from 47 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
Most helpful positive review
Pretty good rum from Bally and you get what you pay for. The Agricole notes are there just in a light version. The nose is warm, fruity and woody with nutmeg, tobacco, leather and a hint of varnish. The palate is also fruity and woody with sugarcane, leather, tobacco and a hint of iodine and flowers. The finish is medium long with wood, spices and dried fruits.
Review by Chris2000
Most helpful critical review
Belle couleur cuivrée. Mais tout est moyen, le nez comme en bouche, presque fade. Je ne suis pas fan du bouchon en liège blanchi et ciré, je trouve que cela imprègne l'alcool. Il a certes un parfum agréable, mais plus digne d'un VO. Décevant, pour un millésimé agricole. Il y a plus de longueur et de goût dans un JM terroir volcanique de 3 ans à 30euros ... La finale est très courte.
Review by Leo Krüper
Much sweeter and less smoky than the 2008. But still quite short finish unfortunately.
Review by TheRhumhoe
Un Millésime de chez J. Bally assez classique, qui offre ce dont on espère d’un rhum agricole : des notes végétales (canne à sucre) et herbacées, des épices qui agrémentent le profil, des arômes fruités (fruits secs, banane) pour la gourmandise et un joli boisé qui n’est pas envahissant. L’attaque en bouche est douce mais plus concentrée sur les notes agricoles. On ressent une certaine fraîcheur, des notes de thé et de tabac qui se joignent aux épices, au bois, à la canne à sucre et aux fruits secs. Un profil assez sommaire qui manque d’impact, de profondeur dans les arômes et de vivacité. La finale ne déroge pas à la règle et se veut douce et légère, avec une pointe de cacao, des notes rôties, des épices, de la canne à sucre, du bois et des notes florales et herbeuses. Les fruits font ici office de figuration. Un rhum assez généraliste, sans grande surprise, qui tombe en désuétude par rapport aux autres cuvées de la marque, et même face à la gamme permanente qui se positionne à un niveau similaire.
Review by Oliver
Really great AgricoleVery balanced and relaxed
Review by Thunderbird
Pleasant relaxed Agricole
Review by Double Barrel
A great everyday sipper if you like agricole's rhums! I come back to it regularly as i do with Bunnahanhain 12, old pulteney 12 or HP 12 for whiskies. Around 50-55€ at the time, a bargain!
Review by w00tAN
In der Nase toll fruchtig mit holznoten und für einen Agricol sehr zurückhaltend was die "frische" angeht. Im Mund braucht er etwas bis fruchtige Süße sich entfaltet, dann tauchen auch die agricol typischen floralen Noten auf. Im Abgang dabei aber sehr schnell vorbei (leider). Der tolle Geruch provoziert hohe Erwartungen, die leider nicht erfüllt werden.
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
very horny and round, quaffable number. nice acidity, not too dry not too woody, lots of fruit that does not fall by the wayside and nice herbal notes. for me bissl like baked pear with honey and thyme, very tasty!
Review by Fabrice Rouanet
Short and disappointing finish. Better in the nose than in the mouth
Review by bossi
Und hier unser Überraschungskandidat. Sascha hat 2003 „reingemogelt“, um zu schauen, wie er im Vergleich zu den älteren Jahrgängen abschließt. Birne, etwas Holz, Leder und der gleiche Klebstoff wie bei 1960 und 1982 ist in der Nase wahrnehmbar – sehr intensiv und gehaltvoll. Der Gaumen ist weder in die Kategorie jung noch alt einzuordnen. Birne, Holz, etwas schmutziges/erdiges und das alles in einer nicht alkoholischen Intensität, die ich sehr begrüße. Ein langer, angenehmer Abgang runden diesen tollen Rum ab. 88 Punkte
Review by Daniel
Pleasantly nutty on the nose. Herbal or floral notes and a pleasant mildness. The nuts are no longer so present, but the rum waits with clear freshness and florality before the spice takes over.In the finish honey and herbs. On the nose as on the palate pleasant Agricole.
Review by Paul Segui
Premier nez fraîcheur de la canne avec un boisé très noble assez caractéristique de la marque effectivement. L’alcool est plus présent que sur le 12 ans par exemple. Plus fruité après aération. Première bouche assez fort mais franchement agréable, boisé très bon difficile à décrire, furtives notes de fumée, excellente longueur en bouche. Je le préfère de justesse au 12 ans qui vaut le même prix. Ca reste un rhum de puriste ++ avec une belle intensité et longueur. Au début on a surtout les épices et le bois et en fin de bouche plus fruité, frais avec la canne en toute fin qui perdure
Review by N’ours
Très équilibré mais presque trop doux
Review by Anonymous
Strong nose, fruity
Review by Jacques etdom
Un agricole correct. Sur la canne, le bois et des notes de cuir.
No reviews match this filter.
Expert reviews
2 critics scored it, averaging 8.6/10. Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum..
Expert review by Single Cask Rum
Read full review →
Expert review by The Fat Rum Pirate
Read full review →A special note as well as finding photographs of this rum has proved tricky so I have "pinched" one from on my UK rum friends Kevin Brooks. Kevin gave me this sample at the 2016 Rum Fest. He probably thought I had forgotten about it. My agricole journey is still...
Details about J. Bally Millésime 2003
A Rhum Agricole AOC from Martinique, distilled by J. Bally, at 43%.
Community purchases
107 bottles logged by 83 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
21% opened, 11 emptied and repurchased.
What does J. Bally Millésime 2003 cost?
Community paid 38–92 €.
Current best price: 99.00 € – above the typical community range.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
107 purchased · 48 tasted · 17 wishlist · as of
About the J. Bally distillery
The J. Bally distillery is located in Martinique. Rums from J. Bally have been reviewed 1,382 times with an average of 8.2/10.
To J. Bally →You may also enjoy
Rum enthusiasts who like this rum have also given the following rums high ratings:
J. Bally Pyramide 12 Ans
J. Bally Pyramide 12 AnsDry, woody agricole with tobacco and spice
J. Bally Millésime 2002
J. Bally Millésime 2002Mild, easy Martinique agricole, a touch thin
J. Bally Millésime 2005
J. Bally Millésime 2005Woody agricole, great nose, thin palate
J. Bally Millésime 1999
J. Bally Millésime 1999J. Bally Millésime 1998
J. Bally Millésime 1998Dry, wood-forward aged agricole
J. Bally Velier 70th Anniversary 2006
J. Bally Velier 70th Anniversary 2006Fresh, fruity agricole, short finish
Never miss a price drop.
Set a target price in the app, and we'll let you know as soon as the rum becomes available at that price from one of our partner stores. This works for any rum on your wish list.
Oliver · FounderBy rum lovers, for rum lovers
I'm Oliver, and RumX began in 2018 as a small passion project in Stuttgart, back then under the name Rum Tasting Notes.
What began as my digital tasting diary is now the world's most comprehensive platform for rum fans, today carried by a small team with Jakob, Lukas and Katharina, with Robert supporting us as a freelancer. We combine the collective intelligence of our community with an integrated marketplace, so you can choose with confidence, without paperwork, detours, or expert jargon.
Oliver, Stuttgart
About RumX →
