Saint Aubin Rhum Vanilla 1819

Saint Aubin works on Mauritius, where the rum is distilled from fresh sugar cane juice in the agricole manner, though local law keeps the protected word agricole for the French islands. This Rhum Vanilla 1819 is a flavoured expression, a pot-still base steeped with vanilla and bottled at an easygoing 40%.

The profile is unapologetically sweet and vanilla-forward, with confectionery and meringue on the nose giving way to burnt sugar and molasses on the palate, then a long vanilla finish. This is a dessert pour, closer in spirit to a vanilla liqueur than a dry cane-juice sipper, and it reads as heavily sweetened. Best understood for what it is, a soft and sugary after-dinner glass or a base for sweet cocktails, not a spirit for those chasing the grassy snap of an unaged blanc.