What a weekend! My day just got a whole lot better when 4 bottles of the Indian Ocean’s finest just arrived yesterday morning. Thanks to my Reunese friends Pascale Perso and Gael Mallet, for sending this via Herman in Joburg.

Isautier Rum, made on Reunion Island since way back. At the age of 21, Charles Isautier left France in 1833 and started a small Rum distillery on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean and this family run distillery is still going stong today.

“By combining tradition and ancestral skills with the expertise of master distillers who constantly seek to develop aromas, Isautier continue to produce exceptional rums that contribute to the spread of Reunion culture and their image in the world.

Traditional rum is made from a dilution of molasses, a by-product of sugar production, to which yeasts are added. After fermenting for 24 hours the juice, which is then known as wine, arrives at around 5° or 6° of alcohol.

The wine is brought to the boil in a first distillation column which is made up of 21 superposed plates. The part which evaporates, known as the flegme, is cooled and then condensed again in another, narrower column of 18 plates.

It is during this second distillation that the different aromatic alcohol esters are separated. (low oils, high oils and head oils). It is at this crucial stage that the master distillers must demonstrate all their skills.

The distillers now have to exercise their talent by subtly blending the different elements in a composition of aromas to create new flavors; a task of constant exploration and renewal that has been repeated by the master rum maker.”

That’s from the website. In my humble opinion: this shit is the business! As smooth as a Tibor drag as a 10lb bone tears across the flat of a remote atoll! As full of character as an Arabian permit! And as bad ass as a 100cm plus GT handing your balls to you on a plate if you don’t show resect! But where can one find it? Well, pop over to my place and I might pour you a shot ….