Damoiseau Shrubb

Damoiseau is the largest distillery on Guadeloupe, and this Shrubb is not a straight rum but a shrubb, the French-island orange liqueur traditionally drunk around Christmas, built on a cane-juice base infused with bitter orange peel and sweetened. It is honestly a flavoured, sweet liqueur rather than a dry agricole, bottled at 40%.

The orange dominates from start to finish: the nose, palate and finish all centre on citrus, orange and orange peel, with a bitter-sweet edge from the macerated peel over a soft, sweet body. This is a festive sipper and a cocktail ingredient rather than a contemplative neat pour, lovely over ice, in punches, or as the orange element in a long drink. Approached as the island liqueur it is, rather than as a cane-juice rum, it does its single job of bright, sweet orange clearly and pleasantly.