Bologne Cask Matured Éleve Sous Bois

Bologne is a Guadeloupe distillery on Basse-Terre, and this Cask Matured Eleve Sous Bois is its young, lightly aged agricole, pressed from fresh cane juice and bottled at 42%. With only a couple of years of oak contact, it sits between a blanc and a fully aged vieux, keeping plenty of cane character.

The light cask influence shapes rather than dominates: a nose of wood, lemon and lime, a round palate of vanilla and gentle wood, then a finish with floral, vegetal and lightly spiced notes. There is a pastry softness to it and a cognac-cask roundness some drinkers note. Easygoing and pleasant rather than complex, it makes a good everyday agricole, simple enough for casual sipping yet still recognisably cane juice.