Dugas Fortin La Maison du Rhum #5 2008

This La Maison du Rhum release, the number five in the series, is a Paraguayan rum from the Fortin distillery, selected and bottled by French house Dugas. Drawn from a 2008 vintage and aged 14 years in ex-bourbon casks, it is bottled at 42% and carries some added sugar.

Paraguay is an unusual origin in the rum world, and Fortin's spirit here leans toward a soft, fruit and oak driven profile. The nose offers vanilla, wood, sweetness and fruit, the palate brings oak, vanilla and spice with a decent spicy lift and exotic fruit, and the finish turns oily before drying out slightly. The light dosage rounds the edges, so it reads pleasant and approachable rather than sharp. This is an easy, gently sweet aged sipper with enough spice and exotic fruit to keep it interesting, a chance to explore a rum origin well off the usual map.