Piccadilly distilleries Camikara Cask Aged Rum 2009

Camikara, made by Piccadilly Distilleries in India, is distilled from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice rather than molasses, putting it in the agricole family in spirit if not in protected name. This 2009 vintage is a twelve year old, aged in ex-bourbon wood and bottled unsweetened at 50%, a notable cane-juice rum from a country far better known for molasses spirit.

The nose is generously fruity, with tropical fruit, passion fruit and papaya. The palate brings more tropical fruit alongside bitter orange, honey and butterscotch, finishing herbal and nutty with oak and a faint soapy note. Despite the cane-juice base it reads more like a fruit-forward column-style aged rum than a grassy classic agricole, which makes it an intriguing one to explore. Dry and undosed, it suits focused sipping for the curious, though the bitter-orange and buttery notes give it a character that will divide opinion.