Old Brothers Bielle Rhum Premium 2011

Old Brothers is a French independent bottler, and this 2011 vintage draws on Bielle, a Marie-Galante distillery known for cane-variety experiments and high-proof blancs. Bottled as a single cask at full strength, it is made from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses, in the agricole tradition that Guadeloupe and its islands share with Martinique.

Distilled on a combination of pot and column stills and matured eight years in ex-bourbon oak, the cask gives a fruity, woody nose of mango and young wood, threaded with caramel and a hint of menthol. The palate is round and sweet-fruited, vanilla and ripe yellow fruit carried by the cask strength, finishing balanced and long. There is no added sugar, so the richness is barrel and tropical fruit rather than dosage. At 53.6% it stays approachable, equally good neat or with a single drop of water.