Ferroni Santo Antao Vulcao

This is a grogue from Santo Antao in Cape Verde, the local fresh-cane-juice spirit that is agricole in everything but name, here selected and bottled by the French house Ferroni. Like Haitian clairin, grogue comes from small rustic producers working close to the cane, and it carries that untamed, terroir-driven character rather than any sense of polish.

Pot-distilled from fresh sugar-cane juice, it is vegetal and mineral with the saline, slightly maritime lift the style is known for. The nose mixes raw cane with nail-polish solvent and lemon, while the palate stays green and peppery and the finish turns iodine-tinged and faintly floral. Bottled at 45% with no claim of added sugar, it reads dry and wild, one for drinkers who already enjoy clairins and rough-edged blancs rather than anyone after a sweet pour.