Savanna L’Absolu 2023

Savanna L'Absolu is a 2023 release from the Reunion distillery, which unusually makes cane-juice agricole, molasses rum and intensely funky high-ester Grand Arome side by side. It is worth being clear that this is a molasses rum, not an agricole, drawing on Savanna's Traditionnel and its long-fermentation Grand Arome, with the labels here mattering as much as the island.

A Port cask influence shapes the maturation, pushing the blend into fruity, wine-edged territory. The nose is woody and red-fruited with licorice and green apple, the palate oily and herbal with red fruits and barrel spice, and the finish stays woody, peppery and earthy with dried fruit and bitter chocolate. Bottled unsweetened at 55.5%, it is metallic, industrial and characterful in the Savanna manner, with a distinct love-it-or-hate-it edge. A complex, full-bodied pour for drinkers who already enjoy robust Savanna or dry, high-intensity rum and want fruity Port and Grand Arome depth at strength.