Aroma visualization from community tastings
Saint James Brut de fût 2003
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
- But: Can turn bitter
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The look inside the bottle
How does Saint James Brut de fût 2003 taste?
Aggregated from 117 community reviews.
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.
Fans of oak-heavy old agricole
Anyone put off by bitter, tannic wood
How the community classifies this rum. Each category takes you to similar rums.
Which glass for which rum? The community guide →
53 of 117 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
Recommendation
Your next rum
One difference each to this rum.
More intense
Saint James Les Ephémères - N°1 2001
8.8/10295 €
Fruitier
Excellence Rhum Saint James Brut de Fût (Excellence Rhum's 10th Anniversary) 2006
8.5/10119 €First choice: 47 of 63 tasters who tried both prefer it.
How is Saint James Brut de fût 2003 rated?
RumX’s 0–10 scale is strict: 8.5 sits in the “Very good” band. 96% of tasters rate it Good or better; only 0% rate it below average. See the full rating guide →
Community voices
What does the community say?
84% rate it 8 or higher. 46 selected write-ups from 117 community ratings. You can view the complete list in our app.
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 🇫🇷
Superbe Saint James, très boisé mais élégant ! J’adore ces profils là Énormément d’épices et de bois en bouche estompant un peu les fruits rouges du nez. « EDIT Calendrier de l’avent à l’aveugle par Simon : Sample 3 : * Nez : Menthol, bois, réglisse, fruits tropicaux, cuir * Bouche : Boisé, piment, amer * Finale : Menthol, piment Pur jus, 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
Premier nez étonnement fruité. Ces notes sont rapidement dominées par le bois et le cuir. L'attaque en bouche est vive et épicée. Bois, tabac, cuir. On est bien chez St James. Jolie longueur. Pas de grosse surprise, on est en territoire connu. Finale longue et boisée qui laisse une jolie amertume pimentée sur la langue. Très 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
Un beau Saint James, plutôt doux ou le bois est bien balancé par la canne et les fruits. Dégusté rapidement sur un salon.
Review by Fuwi
Rum Tasting in Blåvand mit Kevin Ostern 2026 Selten so einen schönen Rum im Glas gehabt, der so komplex war. Das Holz und der Alkohol sind phantastisch aufeinander abgestimmt, die Aromen ergänzen sich hervorragend und man kann sich in Ruhe hinein schmecken, ohne dass es einem zu viel wird. Das Holz dominiert den Charakter sehr deutlich, aber überfährt einen nicht, sehr gute Abfüllung!
Review by FabiDram
Blind auf Saint James getippt 🎉
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
Attaque franche, très complexe et puissant, sans agressivité sur la longueur. Une pépite.
Review by Mc Pirate
Et voilà ! Quel rhum ! Quel nez sur le bois, le cuir, sucre brûle ! C’est une tuerie !! Je resterais des heures à le humer ! Bouche puissante et ronde, le sucre roux revient et toutes les papilles sont en éveil ! Un très grand rhum ! Je retrouve la dégustation faite chez Excellence Rhum! Finale sur le cuir, tabac et la banane en laissant la gorge chaude et la bouche légèrement tétanisée. Un des mes meilleurs rhums!
Review by Agricoler
Kommt im direkten Vergleich nicht an den 2001er heran. Deutlich mehr auf der Fass und würzigen Seite. Tolle Lakritznote. Für mich fehlt ein bisschen Frucht im Geschmack.
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
적당한 밸런스의 곡물 아그리꼴 향이 매력적이지만 우드 스파이스가 다소 강해 다른 향들을 가리는 점이 아쉽다 ------------------------------- 향 : HSE 싱캐와 비슷. saint james le ephemeres보다 순하고 프레시함. 메론, 견과류, 바닥왁스 향에서 에어링할수록 전형적인 곡물류 향이 올라온다 맛 : 첫잔에는 매콤하다. 혀가 적응되면 알콜 부즈가 거의 없어 부드럽고 달콤하다. 볶은 맥아 향이 지배적. 홍차, 초콜릿, 감초등의 노트도 있는데 우디함이 강해 다른 맛을 가린다. 피니시 : 건조하고, 약간의 쉰내, 비린 잡내
Review by GuybrushThreepwood
Sehr intensiv, power ohne Ende, tolle Nase die einen für stunden beschäftigen kann. Im Abgang leichte pflanzliche Bitternoten.
Review by Johannes
Doesn't quite match the 1nd batch unfortunately
Review by Yves Remord
Première bouche assez grasse et ronde. Mais la suite est beaucoup plus persistante et épicée. Là,les fruits partent et c'est le bois et le cigare qui arrivent. Là pâte Saint James arrive en force. La fin est longue et progressive. Oeil et nez absolument envoûtants. Globalement très (trop ?) porté sur les épices. Alcool moins bien intégré que le batch 1
Review by Mathieu C.
Disappointing mouthfeel compared to the very promising nose.
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 Léo Delek
Un peu plus d'épices que sur l'éphémère 6 avec des fruits un peu moins confits, une bouche moins enveloppante. Même si ils sont tres proche ... je lui mets un cote légèrement inferieure. Un nez assez discret. Pas mal de bois, des noix, des épices réglissées, noyaux de cerise, un peu de sucre de canne qui vient de la matière première. Très bon
Review by Filip Šikula
Další krásný starý agricole rum. Vůně plná ovoce, bylinek, kořeni a poměrně dost dřeva. Chuť jemná, olejovitá, čaj, bylinky, koření. Poslední dobou přicházím starým štávových rumúm na chuť víc a víc a tohle je dobrota.
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
Du jus de bois... Il faut aimer ! Âpre, fruits confits, fruits secs, café torréfié et l'extrait, l'alcool chauffe le palais... La cane semble brûlée aussi.. c'est un millésime assez surprenant.. s'y préparer !
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 Arnaud Faverjon
Trop boisé, amertume et astringence, pas très agréable.
Review by Rhumain
Une couleur intense ! Un nez intense ! Une belle puissance en bouche avec une note amère et boisée. Une légère note fruitée vient équilibrer le tout
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.
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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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Live auctions
Current bids for this rum at Europe's leading auction houses.
Market value
What this bottle last achieved at auction. A research indicator, not a forecast.
Auction results 70 € – 100 €
from 2 sales, latest 12/2025
Prices incl. buyer's premium — what a buyer pays, not what a sale nets you.
Avg. community purchase price 103 €
What members paid for this bottle, self-reported. Not a market value — the purchases are over three years old at the median and unverified.
Details about Saint James Brut de fût 2003
A Rhum Agricole AOC from Martinique, distilled by Saint James, at 56,4%.
Community purchases
167 bottles logged by 134 collectors.
A drinker & collector.
23% opened, 10 emptied and repurchased.
What did the community pay for Saint James Brut de fût 2003?
Community paid 45–120 €.
What members actually paid for their bottles. A typical range, not the current shop price. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
167 purchased · 118 tasted · 30 wishlist · as of
Read on in the RumX Guide
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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.
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