Isautier Blanc Agent Double 02

Isautier is one of Reunion's long-established distilleries, and this second Agent Double is a high-proof blanc that splits the difference between two feedstocks, drawing on both molasses and fresh sugar-cane juice. It sits outside the Martinique AOC, so it reads as an agricole-style white rather than a classic agricole, and the molasses share gives it a fuller, rounder base than a pure cane-juice bottling.

Left unaged and bottled at 55%, it leans dry rather than sweet. Red fruits, pear and a fresh sugarcane lift open the nose, while the palate turns spicy and peppery with pear carrying through. The finish brings white pepper, a flash of orchard apple and blackcurrant over a cane backbone. It is a punchy, savoury white that takes water and time well, made for stirring into a cocktail as much as cautious neat sipping.