Odevie SAS Island Signature Tierra Madre Gran Reserva

Tierra Madre Gran Reserva is a Guatemalan ron released under Odevie's Island Signature label, a molasses spirit distilled on a column still and bottled at a soft 40%. Guatemala is best known for high-altitude solera rum, and this expression sits in the smooth, sweet register the country is associated with, pitched at gentle everyday drinking.

The nose carries sugarcane, wood, caramel and a distinctive sandalwood note, with a palate of vanilla, butterscotch and soft wood and a finish of oak, raisin, caramel and black pepper. It drinks sweet, as expected, but with a light spicy edge and a little astringency that keep it from being one-note, and many find it smoother on the palate than the nose first suggests. The result is an easygoing, fig-and-butterscotch sipper, an under-the-radar Guatemalan that rewards a patient glass more than its modest strength might imply.