Santa Teresa Claro

Santa Teresa is one of Venezuela's flagship rum houses, and this Claro is a young white, a three-year column-distilled molasses rum aged in ex-bourbon and bottled at 40%. It shows an unexpectedly fruity, almost grassy character for a Spanish-style white, with reviewers noting a partly agricole-like quality despite its molasses base.

The nose is pear-forward, with banana, a creamy vanilla note and a touch of sweet brioche. The palate keeps the pear, adding toffee, banana and that agricole-like lift, sweet and round with a hint of licorice, before a finish of ginger and currant. It is on the sweet side and a touch hot, which makes it a strong mixer that shines in basic cocktails as much as a curiosity neat. An approachable, lively young Venezuelan with more character than most entry whites, best enjoyed for its fruit and faint cane-juice character in a long drink.