Savanna Rhum Traditionnel Le Must

Savanna Rhum Traditionnel Le Must comes from the Savanna distillery on Réunion in the Indian Ocean, a house that makes both cane-juice agricole and molasses rum. Despite the French-island provenance, this is a molasses-based traditionnel rather than an agricole, distilled on a column still and aged nine years, so it shows the rounder, sweeter molasses character rather than the grassy cane-juice profile.

The rum is light and well balanced, leaning on honey, vanilla and caramel with soft wood and a lift of floral and fruity notes, finishing with a touch of chocolate and barrel. Ex-bourbon ageing keeps it clean and approachable, and at 45% it has a little more grip than a standard forty-percent pour while staying easy to drink. Unsweetened and friendly, it works well as an introduction to Savanna and to Réunion's traditional style, a tasty daily sipper rather than one of the distillery's bigger, funkier statements.