Medine Estate Penny Blue VSOP

Penny Blue is the rum from Mauritius's Medine Estate, and this VSOP is its approachable, unsweetened everyday expression. It is a molasses-based rum aged around four years in ex-bourbon oak, the wood doing the talking in a soft, vanilla-led style.

The profile is gentle and dry: a nose of vanilla, oak, roasted almonds and dry spice, a palate of vanilla and wood with a caramelised note, and a finish carrying dark chocolate, caramel and a light pepper. There is little weight or heat here, the 40% strength keeping things easy and the lack of added sugar keeping it honest rather than sticky. This is a casual sipper and a solid mixer, a good-value introduction to Mauritian rum for drinkers who like a soft, lightly oaked style without sweetening.