Chamarel Highveld Aging Séries Oloroso Cask Antipodes 2017

Chamarel Highveld Aging Series Oloroso Cask Antipodes 2017 is a pot-still cane-juice rum from the Chamarel distillery on Mauritius, bottled at cask strength of 55.3%. Mauritius sits outside the French AOC, so while this is made from fresh-pressed cane juice in the agricole spirit, it carries its own island identity rather than an AOC tier.

Distilled on a pot still for extra body and matured around five and a half years with an Oloroso sherry finish, it leans dry and wood-driven, with red wine, dried fruit, chocolate, coffee and spice over assertive oak. The sherry influence is strong, bringing strawberry-like red fruit and a savoury, tannic depth, while the pot-still base keeps the structure firm. The strength and the wood make this a thoughtful, slow sipper for those who enjoy dry sherry-finished rum, rather than an easy everyday pour.