HSE Blanc

HSE, Habitation Saint-Etienne, makes this Blanc at the Distillerie du Simon in Martinique, an unaged agricole from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice under the island's AOC. Unsweetened and bottled at a bold 55 percent, it is a classic, no-frills white built for mixing.

Distilled in the house style on a low-proof creole column to keep the green cane character intact, it is dry and rustic: grassy sugarcane, floral and citrus notes lead the nose, with a vegetal, grassy palate carrying olive and a peppery edge. The finish stays on sugarcane, citrus, grass and pepper. For all its strength it can drink surprisingly mild, but its real home is the Ti Punch, where many treat it as a yardstick. A dependable, grassy benchmark white and a fine base for arranged rums.