CDI Boulet de Canon 9

Boulet de Canon 9 is one of Florent Beuchet's playful Compagnie des Indes experiments, bottled at 46%. Where the house is best known for terroir-led single casks, this release goes somewhere else entirely, using a fat-wash of barbecue meat fat to build an intensely smoky, savoury profile that sets it apart from anything conventional in the range.

The result is unmistakable: smoke, bacon and roasted meat on the nose, then smoky, meaty, almost grilled flavours on the palate, with oak, pepper and a little citrus and vanilla in support. The finish stays bacon-led, smoky, peppery and faintly salty. This is a deliberate side-step, fun for fans of peated whisky, smoked cocktails or a barbecue old fashioned, and best approached as a curiosity pour. Drinkers wanting classic rum sweetness and fruit should sample before committing.