Rum Nation Savanna Small Batch Rare Rums 2004

Despite the agricole grouping, this is a molasses rum, and that honesty matters: Savanna in Reunion makes three quite different families, cane-juice agricole, molasses rum and intensely funky Grand Arome, and Rum Nation has selected from the molasses side here. Distilled in 2004 on a column still and matured seventeen years, it lands in the Rare Rums tier, which is bottled dry at a full 55.2%.

Rum Nation is an Italian house respected for long-aged single-origin releases, and the wood does much of the talking. The nose carries banana, barrel and pastry notes with a flash of red fruit; the palate is bold and charred, malt and roasted oak driving the spirit, with the strength clearly present. The finish stays woody, sweet and nutty. This is an assertive, barrel-forward sipper for drinkers who enjoy heavy oak influence and do not mind diluting a touch to open it up.