Admiral Rodney HMS Princessa

HMS Princessa comes from Saint Lucia Distillers under the Admiral Rodney range, named for the island's naval history, and offers a gentle look at the distillery's profile. Aged nine years and made from molasses, it sits in a drier, more restrained British style rather than the sweet Latin idiom, a useful step for drinkers moving away from sugared rums.

Matured in ex-bourbon oak, it shows vanilla, caramel, toasted oak and soft baking spice, with raisin and tobacco hints and a classic, lightly woody character. Crucially it is bottled without added sugar, so what sweetness there is comes from the cask, and at 40% it is gentle and honest rather than powerful or showy. It works as an easy everyday sipper or a mixer, and as a fair, no-frills way to get to know Saint Lucia's house style without funk or dosage getting in the way.