Rum Nation Savanna Small Batch Rare Rums 2007

This is a molasses rum, not agricole, and an assertive one: Savanna in Reunion makes several families of rum, and this 2007 comes from the heavier side, selected by the Italian house Rum Nation, matured ten years and finished in sherry casks before bottling dry at a high 59.3%.

The sherry wood and the rum's own funk pull in strong, polarising directions. The nose carries dark cherry and smoke with notable plastic and sulphur; the palate stays on cherry and roasted wood with the same smoky, sulphurous thread; the finish is smoky and woody with clear sherry. Reactions divide sharply: some find the oloroso influence enhances and rounds the spirit, others feel the sulphur and rubber overwhelm the base. Either way this is squarely for experienced drinkers who enjoy bold, funky high-proof rum and the rougher edges of an experimental sherry cask, best taken as a slow, focused sipper.