Cane Island

Cane Island bottles this Nicaraguan rum from column distilled molasses spirit, the light, clean base of the Spanish style, and presents it at a slightly firmer 43 percent with a genuine twelve year age statement. The character leans drier and more wood forward than the sweeter Latin American crowd, which gives it an honest, sippable backbone.

Twelve years in ex bourbon wood draws out an oak driven profile. The nose is woody and spicy with fruit and vanilla, the palate turns to oak, vanilla, tobacco and a touch of sweetness, and the finish stays woody, dry and oaky with spice. There is a thread of citrus and caramel underneath, and the whole thing changes pleasantly across a tasting. A solid stepping stone in the Spanish style, with the age and the drier finish to reward attention, it works equally well as a relaxed daily pour or a step up mixer in a long drink.