Chamarel VS

Chamarel is a Mauritian estate distillery working with fresh pressed sugar cane juice, agricole style in everything but the protected name, which is reserved for the French islands. This VS is its entry point, a three year old at a soft 40%, and it is best read as a gentle, easy drinking introduction rather than a serious cane juice statement.

Distilled on a column from fresh cane juice and given a little time in ex bourbon oak, it leans light and rounded rather than grassy and sharp. The nose carries pear, vanilla and a touch of harsher spirit, the palate softens into coconut, vanilla and a caramelised sweetness, and the finish brings apricot, tropical fruit and gentle spice. It is a simple, pleasant after dinner pour or a soft mixer base, and a low stakes way to dip a toe into cane juice spirits.