Savanna Unshared Cask for France 2016

Savanna sits at the experimental edge of Reunion rum, and this Unshared Cask for France is its agricole side, distilled from fresh-pressed sugar cane juice rather than molasses. Given a port-cask finish and bottled at full strength with no chill, it is cane spirit turned dark and structured.

Six years of tropical maturation does heavy lifting in the island heat, and the port wood adds depth without taking over. The nose carries citrus, tobacco and vanilla over the oak, while the palate turns toward dark chocolate, menthol, tobacco and humid wood with subtle fruit beneath. The finish brings vanilla, spice and a vegetal, floral lift. Unsweetened and bottled at a serious 62.1%, this is an intense, dry sipper with a menthol-chocolate twist, best taken neat or with a few drops of water to open the wood and fruit.