Sodade Canne Rouge Rhum

Sodade is a Cape Verde producer, and this Canne Rouge is an unaged cane-juice rum, distilled on a pot still from fresh-pressed sugar-cane juice in the agricole tradition that the Atlantic islands quietly share. Agricole-style rather than AOC, it carries the volcanic, maritime character of its origin.

The nose is fresh and mineral, fermented cane underscored by flowers and a stony minerality, and the palate turns savoury and full, olive, vegetal and earthy over the sugarcane with citrus and pepper around the edges. The finish is warm and cane-driven with a notable saline, iodine streak that gives it real coastal identity. Bottled unaged at 42.7%, it is a characterful dry white, briny and vegetal in a way agricole lovers will recognise, distinct from the soft sweet rums often associated with the region. A worthwhile detour for anyone chasing terroir in cane-juice rum, neat or in a Ti' Punch.