Longueteau Ambré

Longueteau, the 1895 family distillery and the oldest still running in Guadeloupe, made this Ambre as a lightly aged agricole from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice. Rested around eighteen months in former cognac oak casks and sitting under the island's IGP, it occupies the ambre register, just enough wood to colour and round the spirit without taking it to a full vieux.

Bottled at 40% with sweetening undisclosed, it noses on fruity, floral and round notes, then drinks fruity, floral, round and lightly sweet before a finish of fruit, cinnamon, grass and a cognac echo from the cask. The low strength and short ageing make it gentle and easy, with the aroma and palate on the mild side rather than deeply expressive, the cognac casks lending a soft, vinous touch. It suits relaxed neat sipping or a rounder cocktail for drinkers who want a mellow, accessible introduction to aged agricole.