Labourdonnais Lady Blue

Labourdonnais is a Mauritian distillery, and Lady Blue is one of its molasses-based rums rather than a cane-juice agricole. Mauritian rum sits outside the AOC term, so its spirits are described as agricole-style or, as here, simply as molasses rum, and the difference in feedstock shows in the glass.

The profile is rounded and sweet-leaning: a nose of roasted wood, caramel and candied fruit, a palate of wood, caramel, molasses and a soft, round body, and an oily, sweet, woody finish. At 40% it is gentle and easy, clearly not an agricole in character, with a balance that reads as comfortable rather than challenging. Sweetness is not declared, but the impression is on the sweeter side, so it is best taken as a smooth after-dinner pour for those who like their rum soft, caramel-rich and undemanding.