Habitation Velier Trois Frères Distillery Takamaka 2021

This Trois Freres Distillery release is part of Habitation Velier, the pure single rum line from the Genoese bottler Velier, devoted to pot-still, single-distillery, full-proof and unsweetened spirit. The cane juice here comes from Takamaka in the Seychelles, distilled on a pot still and bottled unaged at 56%, putting the raw character of the distillate fully on display.

The Seychelles sits outside any agricole AOC, so this is cane-juice rum in the agricole spirit rather than rhum agricole. Pot distillation gives it weight while the lack of ageing keeps it vivid and green: chamomile, fresh grass and a vegetal, mineral nose, then a floral, minty palate with an earthy, briny, olive-tinged finish. Honestly more a characterful mixer than a neat sipper, it shines where its grassy, saline edge can drive a drink, from Ti Punch and daiquiris to tiki-style builds for drinkers chasing terroir over polish.