Savanna 2020 Le Must Réunion Island

Rhum vieux traditionnel de la Réunion, à priori 9 ans d'âge. Titre : 45°.
Bouteille : étui, bouteille au design agréable, le rhum a une couleur dorée.
Nez : très agréable, fruits confits avec une note d'alcool.
Attaque: douce, mielleuse qui se dissipe rapidement suivie par alcool enfin dominante minérale.
Finale : pas grand chose à retenir.
Correct mais je suis un peu déçu par ce rhum assez sec.

Dejlig rum fra Savanna. Dejlig sipper, med lidt sødme uden at der er tilsat sukker. Skal prøves i en Mai Tai.

Goldglänzendes Bernstein im Glas.
In der Nase geheimnisvoll und mystisch. Duftende Schwaden werden aus dem Cirque Salazie nach Nord-Osten geblasen und Du saugst sie auf. Kandierte Früchte, in Karamell getunkte Holzwolle , Gewürze und getrocknete Kräuter, um nur Einige zu nennen.
Am Gaumen mystisch und vertraut. Nun verlierst Du dich endgültig im nebligen Dschungel, dem Etikett gleich. Karamell durchdringt den Nebel und weitere leckere Aromen folgen. Gebratene tropische Früchte, Banane, Mangos und auch solche die wir nicht kennen werden auf getoasteten Holzbrettern serviert und zeigen ihre beste Seite.
Im Abgang satt und mittellang. Früchte und Karamell bleiben etwas länger und der Nebel lichtet sich allmählich.
Ein durchaus gelungener Rum der Freude macht. Für Einsteiger und Geniesser.
G+R F LU 22

Golden amber in the glass.
Mysterious and mystical on the nose. Fragrant swaths are blown from Cirque Salazie to the north-east and you absorb them. Candied fruits, wood shavings dipped in caramel , spices and dried herbs to name a few.
Mystical and familiar on the palate. Now you finally lose yourself in the misty jungle, like the label. Caramel pierces the mist and more delicious flavors follow. Roasted tropical fruits, banana, mangoes and even those we don't know are served on toasted wooden boards and show their best side.
The finish is lush and medium in length. Fruits and caramel linger a bit longer and the fog gradually lifts.
A thoroughly successful rum that is a pleasure to drink. For beginners and connoisseurs.
G+R F LU 22

If you like cognac, I mean strong hard cognac you will enjoy this one. You need to drink this as a cognac. This cannot be sipped as a rum in my opinion.

For me this is not rum, if I rate this as a rum it is straight up motor oil with a flavor. It is not sippable as a rum, but I would recommend this for cognac drinkers and you should treat it as such, especially for that price tag!

Aromas of honeysuckle, roses, and lemon curd. The palate features honey, sandalwood, and floral notes, finishing with green apple candy and rosewater. Complex and delightful.

fruits, pear, raisins, butter and honey in aroma; very fruity (cherry and strawberry), milk chocolate and butterscotch finish in body; cognac cask tail.

Un excellent rhum vieux, le grand arome apporte une touche très originale.

8: On the nose, the first impression is of a small fruit salad in syrup. At first, pear, mango and cherry are quite fresh and pale, protecting themselves in the shade of a small film of crunchy sugar.
With aeration, the lightness and freshness are retained, but the fruit is enveloped in a toasty woodiness, itself covered by a thin layer of sweet-spiced honey. This light patina tempers the toasty character of the oak, preserving the delicacy of the fruit.The second nose is nicer-8,5.
9:The mouth is more complex than we could have imagined, and shows several facets in fractions of a second. Let's try slow motion to see what happens. First, the toasty woodiness sends up a small cloud of sweet spices, which come to rest on a bed of roasted, caramelized pecans. Then, the fruit salad encountered on the nose is baked, the fruit becomes stronger, more tropical, more caramelized, its pits resurfacing.Light smokiness arises.
8:The finish is both roasted and pastry-like, with pits and red fruit tannins, followed by a layer of ripe exotic fruit that maintains the length.

I finally got my hands on some distillate from the Savanna distillery. It took me quite sometime but I patiently waited and when this bottling showed up I pounced.

I have been wanting to try rum from the Savanna distillery on Reunion Island off the coast of Africa for a long time. I was unable to obtain the sought after HERR 57 so I patiently waited for a Savanna bottling with the right specs (to my tastes) to appear on the radar. When this bottling was posted and I read it’s details it seemed like a no brainer.

This is a blend of Grande Arome and Rhum Traditionnel, both French molasses based rums distilled on Reunion Island on column stills and aged tropically for 9 years onsite in the Indian Ocean. It is bottled at 45% ABV. Grande Arome is a high ester style of French style rum made from molasses. In many respects it is like a high ester Jamaican rum. Rhum Traditionnel is also a French molasses style rum.

I have had aged Rhum Traditionnel from Guadeloupe and thoroughly enjoyed it to the extent that I bought a couple of bottles. So when I read the specs of this rum from Savanna it sounded like something I would thoroughly enjoy.

Taking this on the nose from the Glencairn is exactly what I had hoped for. I get a heavy nose of Blackstrap Molasses, Honey, and Lemon Curd. Then it turns floral in a major way with Honeysuckle and Fresh Roses coming to the forefront. Next I get a very creamy and fruity dose of Blueberries in Whipcream. And it continues, next comes Tangerine and a faint Wood Lacquer note. A final waft reveals an olfactory experience akin to standing in a Tobacco Barn. This rum is far more complex on the nose than I anticipated, and in a rather enjoyable way.

Taking a sip the palate first mirrors the nose and I get a mouthful of Honey, Lemon Curd, and Honeysuckle. But then the rum shifts gears and I get Sandalwood and a powerful but difficult to describe note that is both fragrant and floral.

The complexity returns once again after the rum leaves the mouth. On the finish I get more Honeysuckle but also Green Apple Jolleyrancher hard candy. Next I get more Sandalwood but also light Rosewater. After a while I get a build up of a aftertaste akin to Yellow Starburst candies.

Frankly, this rum is everything I hoped it would be and more. In some respects it is quite similar to Transcontinental Rum Line Guadeloupe. But it is also different. It has a great deal of (delightful) floral and candy funk. The Grande Arome here is palpable.

This is (yet another) excellent molasses based rum French tradition rum. The French isles really should produce more of these. They are quite expressive and funky. And they age like high ester Jamaican rums. These aged Rhum Traditionnels really are unique and delightful. This is worth every bit of the trouble and patience required to get it, at least to me.

It inadvertently says it all right there on the bottle. This is a Le Must

Short Description: Honeysuckle, Roses, Lemon Curd, and Hard Candy in a Sandalwood devotion room.

ABV: 45%

Country of Origin: France

Region: Reunion Island

Nose: Molasses, Honey, Lemon Curd, Honeysuckle, Roses, Blueberries in Whipped Cream, Tangerine, faint Wood Lacquer, Tobacco Barn

Palate: Honey, Lemon Curd, Honeysuckle, Sandalwood, Floral and Fragrant,

Finish: Honeysuckle, Green Apple Jolleyrancher, faint Sandalwood, Rosewater, Yellow Starburst Candy

PALATE

All 45% of alcohol volume is hitting you at the start, the same as the alcohol vapor kicks your nose when the rhum is swirled in the glass. But that is the attitude of real dram. It starts with some crispy bitterness, probably from molasses, then black pepper continues to play its role till the sugar comes on top, or better say cherry…
Literally the sweet notes are coming at the end, like the whole taste process, just without salt for now.. Near the raisins and pear, one special flavor showed up. Sour cherry, with the hint of oregat.

For whole article and for more aroma & tastings with Savanna Le Must:

https://sundayrumor.com/category/reunion/