Kesselherz Louis Santo Single Cask Rum

Bottled by the German house Kesselherz under the Louis Santo name, this is an eight year old rum from the Dominican Republic built around its cask rather than its base spirit. Unusually for the region it starts from fresh sugar cane juice rather than molasses, then spends time in Cognac wood that leaves a clear brandy signature, an easy bridge for anyone arriving from the world of French eau de vie.

The profile is openly sweet and rounded, with caramel, cinnamon and soft wood on the nose giving way to chocolate, dried fruit and a maple-edged finish that carries that Cognac-cask warmth. There is a faint bitterness underneath that keeps it from cloying. This is a sweeter-palate pour, comfortable neat after a meal or alongside dessert, and honest enough to admit it favours smoothness and familiarity over dry complexity.