Swell de Spirits Isautier Wild Nature Series 2011

Selected by Swell de Spirits for its Wild Nature series, this is a single cask Isautier from a 2011 Reunion vintage, 13 years old and released unsweetened at cask strength, 59.4%. Isautier distils from fresh pressed sugar cane, and an ex cognac cask gives this aged expression a distinctly continental, brandy tinged frame.

The cognac influence runs throughout, with vanilla, roasted nuts and a woody, allspice warmth wrapping around the spirit. It drinks dry and spicy at full strength, the fruit and herbs threaded through a tannic oak structure, with a long, vegetal, cognac led finish. The grassy agricole signature is muted here in favour of richer, darker tones, almost a hybrid of cane juice and molasses character. It suits drinkers who like their agricole intense, dry and wood forward, taken slowly with time in the glass.