Ferroni La Dame Jeanne 19 (São Tomé)

Ferroni La Dame Jeanne 19 is an unaged agricole-style rum distilled from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice on Sao Tome, the small island nation off the West African coast, and selected by Maison Ferroni of Marseille, a house known for cask-strength bottlings released without sweetening. Pot still distillation gives it weight and a rougher edge than the clean creole-column blancs of Martinique.

The nose is vegetal and grassy with a thread of citrus and a distinctly odd note that drinkers liken to a sun-warmed plastic canteen, the kind of feral signature that comes with rustic island production. The palate is oily and savoury, leaning on raw sugar-cane sap and green olive, while the finish stays oily and salty with a peppery snap. At 57% this is built for the curious rather than the cautious, best sipped neat with water or stirred into a punch where its briny, vegetal character can carry the drink.