Mana’o Tahiti

Mana'o is a rare cane-juice rum from French Polynesia, made on Tahiti from fresh-pressed sugar cane rather than molasses and built on an heirloom cane variety. Sitting outside the French AOC and IGP zones, it cannot use the word agricole, but it is agricole in spirit, a column-distilled white run low to keep the grassy congeners intact.

Bottled unsweetened at 50%, it leads floral and vegetal, with citrus and fresh sugarcane sap up front and hints of tropical fruit, almond and a touch of anise underneath. The palate stays fresh and green, dry rather than sweet, before a finish that turns vegetal and lemony with a slightly bitter edge that suits the style. It works neat for those who like a characterful blanc and shines in cane-juice cocktails, a distinctly Polynesian take on the form.