La Favorite La Digue Récolte 2018

La Favorite is one of Martinique's last independent family distilleries, and La Digue is its single estate plot, here from the 2018 harvest. It is full AOC rhum agricole, made from fresh pressed sugarcane juice on a column still that distills low to keep every grassy, vegetal congener in the spirit, then bottled unaged so the cane speaks plainly.

At 52 percent the strength gives it real intensity without tipping into aggression. The nose is all fresh sugarcane, citrus and lime, the palate stays fresh and grassy with a peppery vegetal bite, and the finish runs spicy and warming with a clean solvent lift typical of a young blanc. Unsweetened and dry as the AOC demands, this is the freshness and snap of cane juice rum at full volume, a benchmark style white for Ti Punch that holds its own poured neat for those who like it bracing.