Cane Island Bonne Mère

This Bonne Mere is a young Guadeloupe agricole, distilled from fresh sugar-cane juice on a column still and bottled by the independent Cane Island. At three years in ex-bourbon oak under the Guadeloupe IGP, it is a lightly aged cane-juice rum that leans surprisingly dark and savoury for its youth.

The nose is the richest part, caramel, leather, cocoa and coffee, while the palate turns drier and spicier, licorice and pepper with a caramelised edge and some alcohol warmth, the finish staying spicy, warm and faintly medicinal over wood. Drinkers find it light-bodied with wet-grass and citrus cane notes that can turn sharp, and a tendency to fade quickly. It is an honest, characterful young agricole rather than a deep aged statement, the wood and cane both present without great length. Bottled at 43%, it suits the curious drinker exploring independent Guadeloupe bottlings, neat or in a cane-forward cocktail.