Valinch & Mallet | Spirit of Art 2023 Mauritius 8 Year Old 2014

This bottling comes from Valinch & Mallet, an independent producer focused on single cask releases bottled without reduction, colouring or chill filtration. The Spirit of Art series is built around one off casks paired with commissioned artwork, with each release standing on its own rather than following a fixed house style.

The rum was distilled in 2014 at La Bourdonnais Distillery. While the modern distillery opened in 2006, it sits within the historic La Bourdonnais estate, whose sugar cultivation on the island dates back several centuries. This link between estate grown cane and on site distillation is central to the style produced there.Distillation is carried out on a multi column still designed to produce a clean, precise cane juice spirit rather than a heavy or ester driven profile. Compared to traditional Caribbean molasses rums, and even to some agricole rums made on Creole columns, this approach results in a lighter, more structured distillate. For this bottling, that clean base spirit allows the effects of tropical ageing to come through clearly, with oak influence, fruit development and alcohol strength all playing a visible role rather than being masked by fermentation driven intensity.

After eight years of full tropical maturation in Mauritius, the rum was bottled in 2023 at 57.2% ABV, straight from a single cask. Total outturn is 328 bottles, released exclusively into a small number of European specialist markets. Tasting feedback points to ripe tropical fruit, caramelised cane and oak on the nose, followed by vanilla, fruit sweetness and firm alcohol grip on the palate. It is a direct, high strength expression that reflects both the distillery’s clean distillation style and the impact of long tropical ageing.

The label features original artwork selected for this release by Italian contemporary artist Giacomo Modolo as part of the Spirit of Art series, where the bottler pairs each spirit with a unique piece of art. Giacomo Modolo is an Italian contemporary artist from Arzignano, near Vicenza, whose work is defined by bold colour, strong figurative elements and graphic compositions.