Isautier Arrangé Vanille Bourbon

Isautier is one of Reunion's oldest rum houses, and its Arrange line follows the island tradition of macerating rum with fruit, spice or, here, vanilla. This is a Bourbon vanilla arrange, named for the prized vanilla grown in the Indian Ocean islands, and it is built squarely around that single flavour.

The result is exactly what the name promises: a soft, sweet, vanilla-saturated spirit where the macerated pods dominate nose and palate alike. At 37% it is gentle and rounded, closer to a vanilla cordial than to a dry sipping rum, and it should be enjoyed on those terms. This is an indulgent after-dinner pour or a vanilla note for cocktails and coffee, openly sweet and aromatic rather than a structural aged rum. Drinkers who love vanilla will find it generous; those after grassy agricole bite should look elsewhere.