Ten Cane RA Rum 2008

Ten Cane was a short-lived Trinidad distillery whose pot still spirit has become a quiet favourite among drier-rum drinkers, and this 14 Year Old comes from Rum Artesanal, a German bottler working in the unsweetened, full-proof tradition. Drawn from a single ex-bourbon cask of the 2008 vintage, it leans into the spicier, more characterful side of Trinidad rather than the island's lighter Spanish-style norm.

Pot still distillation gives it weight, and tropical ageing in ex-bourbon oak adds firm wood and depth without softening the edges. The signature is a distinctive sour cherry and marzipan note, often compared to a chocolate cherry, set against dark chocolate, roasted wood and a cooling menthol streak. The palate is spicy and dry with cherry and almond at its core, and the finish runs on barrel, dark chocolate and mint. Bottled unsweetened at 58.2%, it suits drinkers who want firm oak, a little alcohol bite and a genuinely individual flavour.