Isautier Cuvée Anniversaire 180 Ans 2006

Released for Isautier's 180th anniversary, this is a single cask Reunion rhum agricole distilled from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice in 2006 and bottled unsweetened at full cask strength. Eighteen years is a serious age for a tropically matured spirit, where the heat and humidity drive a high angel's share and accelerate oak extraction, so the wood here carries the depth of a much older continental rum.

Distilled on a column still in the island style and aged in ex-bourbon oak, it pours intense and concentrated at 65.4%. The nose moves between woody resin, apricot and ripe tropical fruit with a clear vegetal lift, while the palate turns leathery and fruity before a dry, spicy, citrus-edged finish. This is built for those who already enjoy long-aged cane-juice rum at full proof, and it rewards a little time in the glass and a drop of water to open the older wood.