Elizabeth Yard Savanna 2013

Bottled by Elizabeth Yard, this single cask comes from Savanna on Reunion, a distillery that makes agricole, molasses and high-ester Grand Arome rums alike. This release, with its red-fruit and molasses character, points to the richer, molasses-leaning side of the house, aged nine years from a 2013 distillation in ex-bourbon and, by the cask's influence, red-wine-cask wood, bottled at cask strength.

The nose is generous with red fruits, dried fruit, orange peel and molasses, and the palate carries strawberry, red fruit and dried fruit forward. The finish brings brown sugar, oak and vanilla, with a pronounced sweetness that the wine cask seems to amplify. At 49.9% it is deep and fruit-laden, a single cask Savanna that trades grassy freshness for rich, jammy depth. A characterful Reunion bottling for those drawn to red fruit and a sweeter, full-bodied profile.