Ferroni La Dame Jeanne 12

Ferroni La Dame Jeanne 12 is a Guyanese rum that breaks the usual Demerara mould. Where almost everything from this country is heavy molasses spirit off a heritage still, this one is column distilled from sugar cane juice, which lines it up closer in spirit to an agricole than to the dark Port Mourant style most associate with the region. Maison Ferroni works out of Provence and bottles dry at full strength, here a bracing 57%.

The nose opens on cut sugarcane, lemon and a peppery lift. The palate is where it turns unusual, with a strong anise note running through olive, black pepper and green herbs, dry and savoury rather than sweet. The finish returns to sugarcane and lime peel with that pepper still humming underneath. Sweetness is not declared, but nothing here reads as dosed, and the overall impression is of a sharp, polarising cane spirit for drinkers who want something with edges rather than a smooth dessert pour.