CDI 2003

Bottled by Compagnie des Indes, the French house known for terroir-led, broad-origin single casks, this is a 2003 Dominican column rum drawn from a single ex-bourbon barrel and aged thirteen years. Distilled from molasses on a column still, it carries the soft, clean backbone typical of Spanish-style ron, but the cask choice and the natural 46% strength let an unusual fruit profile come through rather than burying it in sweetness.

The nose opens fresh and a little herbal, vanilla and cinnamon framing a distinct mirabelle plum note. The palate stays in that orchard-fruit register, plum and other yellow fruits over light vanilla, while a green, almost eucalyptus lift keeps it crisp. The finish turns to menthol, cut grass and dark chocolate, dry and cooling rather than dessert-sweet. An unsweetened, off-piste Dominican that rewards drinkers looking for something other than the usual caramel softness.