Savanna Planteray Prestige Cellar (LMDW) 2005

Savanna's Grand Arome is its high ester molasses style, and this 2005 single cask was selected by Maison Ferrand for its Planteray Prestige Cellar with La Maison du Whisky. Aged twenty years in cognac casks and bottled at cask strength of 57.5%, it is an older, more polished take where time and the wine cask have tempered the usual funk.

Two decades in cognac casks pull the spirit toward a cognac character, with wood and spice leading over dried fruit, citrus and only a light glue and floral hint of the Grand Arome origin. The palate stays dry and slightly astringent, the smoky, woody finish carrying more oak and fruit than ester. The Savanna profile is still detectable beneath the cognac influence, but this drinks more like a mature wine-cask rum than a funk bomb. It suits drinkers who enjoy drier, woody Savanna releases and cognac finishes without needing full Grand Arome intensity.