S.B.S 2016

S.B.S 2016 is a single cask cane-juice rum from Ecuador, bottled by the Danish house 1423 under its detail-obsessed Single Barrel Selection, which works in a transparent, unsweetened, cask-strength style. Distilled in 2016 and aged seven years at 57%, it offers a less-travelled origin for the cane-juice category.

Matured in virgin oak rather than refill casks, it leans firmly into wood, with vanilla, caramel and baking spice over young oak, a menthol lift and a dry, tannic finish carrying herbs and citrus bitterness. The virgin-oak ageing pushes the spice and tannin forward and gives it an unconventional, technical edge that sets it apart from softer cane-juice rums. Certified unsweetened, it is an interesting experiment for drinkers who enjoy drier, oak-forward single casks and want to explore Ecuadorian cane juice at higher proof.