Grays New Grove Plantation

Grays makes its New Grove rums in Mauritius, and this Plantation white is a molasses based spirit distilled on a column still and bottled unaged at 40 percent. Mauritius sits outside the French Caribbean AOC, and this is the lighter, more commercial face of the island's output, the sort of white poured in hotel bars and built into long drinks.

The character is mild and clean rather than complex. The nose offers a whiff of cane with menthol and a soft sweetness, the palate stays light with a little cane and menthol over a gentle alcohol lift, and the finish is short and sweet. Honest about its station, this is not a rum that asks to be sipped neat and studied. It is an undemanding mixing white, agreeable on the nose and easy in a cocktail, where its soft fruit and gentle sweetness do the job without getting in the way.