La Favorite Coeur de Canne 2021

La Favorite is one of Martinique's last family run distilleries, and this Coeur de Canne is a white agricole from the 2021 harvest, made from fresh pressed cane juice under the island's AOC rules, which ban any added sugar. Bottled unsweetened at 50%, it is the picture of a working blanc, more earthy and rustic than polished, built for daily drinking rather than display.

Distilled on a creole column run low to keep the green cane congeners, then rested rather than aged, it stays bright and snappy. The nose is all fresh sugar cane, vegetal greenery and lemon peel, the palate keeps the cane front and centre with a touch of sweetness and citrus, and the finish runs sugar cane, lime and a pungent white pepper bite. Familiar to anyone who likes Neisson blanc but a shade earthier, it is at its best in a ti' punch.