Saint Aubin History Collection – Isle des France 1715-2015 Rhum Royal Cuvée Speciale

Saint Aubin works on the south coast of Mauritius, and this History Collection bottling marks three centuries of the island's settlement under the Isle de France name. Despite the agricole styling on the label, it is built from molasses rather than fresh cane juice, an Indian Ocean rum that sits closer to the easy, fruit-forward end of the spectrum than to the grassy snap of a Martinique blanc.

Distilled on a column still and bottled without cask strength at a soft 40%, it leads with ripe banana and sugary confection, almost chewing-gum in its fruitiness, with a solvent edge underneath from the fermentation. The palate is lighter and drier than the nose suggests, leaning woody and spicy, and the finish turns herbal with a faintly bitter twist. Sweetness is undeclared but the spirit reads more candied than dry, a pleasant easy-going pour rather than a serious aged sipper.