Ti Arrangés de Ced‘ Mangue Piment Végetarien (Chaça)

Ti Arrangés de Ced' Mangue Piment Végetarien is a rhum arrangé, the French-island tradition of macerating fresh fruit and spice in rum to make a sweet, aromatic infusion. This one pairs mango with chilli, and as an arrangé it belongs to the sweet, flavoured side of the category, made to be enjoyed as a fruity digestif or over ice rather than judged as a dry aged rum.

The nose leads on tropical fruit, mango to the fore, with black pepper sitting behind it, then the palate shifts as the chilli steps forward, peppery heat building against the sweet mango. At 36% it is soft in strength, openly sweet, with the fruit-and-spice interplay giving it more interest than many in the style. Taken for what it is, a fruit maceration rather than a sipping rum, it is a warming, mango-led arrangé with a chilli kick, best poured chilled and slow.