Distillerie d’Indochine Sampan Cellar Series (Cognac Cask) 2018

Distillerie d'Indochine makes Sampan in Vietnam from fresh pressed sugarcane juice, an agricole style rum well outside the French AOC, and this Cellar Series single cask from the 2018 vintage was matured four years before a Cognac cask finish. Distilled on a column still, it keeps a clean, herbal cane character that the cask then frames.

Bottled at a robust cask strength of 55.5 percent, the higher proof brings the aromatics forward. The nose leans herbal with citrus, vanilla, wood and dark chocolate, the palate turns to vanilla, oak and a soft sweetness over the barrel, and the finish carries spice, a Cognac note, licorice and a saline edge. The result is a clean, well made agricole style rum where the cane and the Cognac cask sit in quiet conversation. Unsweetened and characterful, it is an interesting single cask for drinkers exploring cane juice rum from beyond the usual islands.