A few white rums to celebrate the month of July


July 5, 2026

A few white rums to celebrate the month of July

And to recover from some of last week's tequila, particularly the rather unappealing ultra-filtered ones, which certainly couldn't be described as malternatives, we're going to sample a good selection of French rums instead, plus a few others. Let's see what we can find in the appropriate boxes…

Saint James ‘Fleur de Canne’ (50%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2025)

You may know that we are rather fond of Saint James, and this is surely as close to the very heart of the distillate as it gets. The king of the Ti’punch, although naturally we shall be tasting it neat. We last sampled this expression back in 2016. Ten years already! Colour: white. Nose: a touch spirity at first, recalling artisanal raspberry eau-de-vie, then bananas and carrots emerge, together with a faint earthy edge. A little later, honey and orange blossom join the party. Rather charming so far. With water: the earthy and grassy side becomes more pronounced. Mouth (neat): wonderfully expressive, packed with fruit, once again reminding us of raspberry eau-de-vie before fresh cane juice takes centre stage, with just the tiniest saline flicker. With water: it retains that fruity eau-de-vie profile, becoming almost a little tutti-frutti. Finish: quite long, with a gentle warming glow. Comments: very attractive indeed, although we cannot help thinking it rather wants to become a... Ti’punch.
SGP:551 - 80 points.

Dzama ‘Cuvée Blanche Prestige’ (40%, OB, Madagascar, +/-2024)

This is rather an unusual white rum, in that they first macerate fruits and spices in the casks before filling them with the white rum for a year, then charcoal-filtering the result. The spirit itself is molasses-based. Colour: white. Nose: this reminds us very much of what happened last week with the Cenote green orange tequila, indeed they are remarkably close. Bright, lively and utterly driven by citrus fruits, with just a little ginger in the background. In the end, it nosed almost exactly like a fine limoncello. Mouth: limoncello, and a very good one at that. That said, we are a very long way from what we would normally call ‘rum’, unless perhaps a lemon zest rhum arrangé. Finish: quite long. More limoncello. Comments: hardly orthodox, yet we find it thoroughly enjoyable. Even if it rather cries out for a few ice cubes...
SGP:641 - 80 points.

Baie des Trésors 2023 ‘Plein Soleil’ (54%, Baie des Trésors, Martinique, agricole)

A single-parcel rum, although the distillery itself is not mentioned. The location is, however, La Caravelle, which leads us to Hardy, and nowadays to Saint James, who distil these rums, Hardy having been closed for thirty years. In short, unless I have misunderstood, this ought to be Saint James once again. Colour: white. Nose: violently focused on cane juice, with a faintly petroly edge, and that is exactly the sort of thing we adore. With water: bananas and almost overripe mangoes emerge, and we do love that too. A tiny touch of ammonia. Mouth (neat): excellent, with turmeric, bitter orange, damp earth, olives and ultra-ripe fruits. With water: the salinity comes to the fore, together with little lemons. Finish: long and earthy. Comments: very much to my taste. Whenever olives appear, it is usually a very good sign as far as I am concerned.
SGP:562 - 85 points.

La Favorite 2023 ‘La Digue’ (52%, OB, Martinique, agricole)

Another single-parcel bottling, this one from their La Digue plantation. Colour: white. Nose: even more distinctive than the Baie des Trésors, leaning further towards varnish, hairspray and diesel oil at first, before black olives and gloriously overripe tropical fruits take over. Magnificent. With water: carbon dust, brake pads... Mouth (neat): splendid, liquorice-laden, beautifully saline, with oranges and fresh lime once again. The liquorice, or rather salmiak, sets the rhythm throughout. With water: sea water and lemon. Finish: long and very salty. We absolutely love it. Comments: this La Favorite is quite a beast. A great white rum.
SGP:462 - 88 points.

We're starting off rather strongly, perhaps…

Mother Mesccia (47%, Velier/Distillerie de Monaco, Haiti, clairin, 2025)

A Sajous clairin whose first distillation took place in Haiti and the second in... Monaco. If there has ever been a spectacular split between two locations, this must be it, and not merely geographically. Colour: white. Nose: unmistakably clairin, with dill, aniseed, fresh rubber, salsify and then hay. Mouth: we find the familiar faintly petroly side of clairin, although it has been somewhat softened. Olives, orgeat and varnish, rounded off by touches of vanilla and marmalade. Finish: these flavours carry on for quite a long while, becoming increasingly saline as they go. Comments: very good indeed, even if it struggles a little after the La Favorite, which was operating at a distinctly higher definition. And let's not even mention the carbon footprint… That said, when it comes to exporting first runs or exporting bottled spirit, I imagine the carbon footprint is much the same. The weight of the water in the first runs is possibly comparable to that of the glass of the bottles. Anyway…
SGP:551 - 83 points.

Let's head back to France…

La Salle (51.5%, OB, Martinique, agricole, +/-2024)

Another Saint James production built around an old brand. The sugar cane is grown organically here. Colour: white. Nose: rather gentle and approachable, although certainly not rounded. Small yellow fruits at first, then increasingly mandarin and bergamot. With water: back to earth, with bagasse... Mouth (neat): very good, very much driven by citrus fruits, especially bergamot. With water: it loses a little definition, yet remains very attractive, if now slightly more rustic. Finish: even more rustic and grassy. The aftertaste lingers on brine and olives, as is so often the case with these well-made agricoles. Comments: a very fine example of a spirit that would collect plenty of praise if tasted on its own, yet has to work a little harder in such a strong line-up.
SGP:461 - 79 points.

Let’s hope La Favorite hasn’t killed the contest…

William Hinton ‘White’ (40%, OB, Madeira, agricole)

William Hinton ‘White’ (40%, OB, Madeira, agricole, +/-2025)

Let us remind ourselves that while many countries use the term ‘agricole’ somewhat liberally, Madeira genuinely enjoys a protected ‘agricole’ designation, just like Martinique and Guadeloupe. And we do have a soft spot for these Madeiran agricoles. Colour: white. Nose: we immediately find that wonderfully typical pastis-like side, joined by lime, which takes centre stage here. Superb citrus fruits. Mouth: my, this is good! And the price is almost laughably low. Lemon, earth, yeasts, tobacco and a very gentle touch of chilli, perhaps coming from the French oak used here... It is distinctive, and that is precisely what we enjoy. Finish: quite long, with rather unexpected hints of juniper and a salty aftertaste. Comments: excellent and modest. The two often seem to go hand in hand.
SGP:552 - 84 points.

While we're in Madeira…

Sodade ‘Cuvée Rumporter’ (44.7%, OB, Cabo Verde, +/-2025)

I believe this is in fact a grogue, created by and for France's leading rum magazine, Rumporter, for which our friend Alexandre V. and his gang have selected a little gem. Colour: white. Nose: if we were minded comparing this Cape Verdean ‘kind-of agricole’ with the Madeiran one, which is rather the point here, this is less sharply defined but earthier, almost slightly cardboardy for a while, before citrus fruits and a trio of ginseng, turmeric and ginger gradually take control. We rather suspect the palate will be where everything comes together... Mouth: we find that more rustic, more down-to-earth character again, with dust, fruit and vegetable peelings, as well as plenty of yeasty notes. A lovely acetic side too, bringing to mind old Sherry vinegars and the like. Finish: long, drifting towards little herbs, sweet woodruff, lovage and mint. Comments: slightly intellectual, which does not surprise me in the slightest coming from our friend Alexandre (you owe me a beer, Alexandre).
SGP:462 - 83 points.

Bologne ‘Black Cane’ (50%, OB, 10th Anniversary, Guadeloupe, agricole, +/-2025)

Mind you, these are the ten years of the ‘Black Cane’ expression, not of Bologne itself, which had already been around long before Methuselah. Almost. The last time we tasted Black Cane we were left rather unconvinced, although that was several years ago. Colour: white. Nose: earthy, rooty cane hits immediately. Swedes, artichokes, turnips and wild carrots. With water: chilled vegetable soup, gazpacho... Mouth (neat): the natural sweetness of the cane, followed by something that is really very rustic, almost excessively fermentary. Lemon zest helps bring everything back into balance. With water: I just can't get there. Finish: quite long, vegetal and saline. Green beans. Comments: I'm struggling a little to bring this one into focus, which is probably more my problem than the rum's.
SGP:541 - 77 points.

Bonpland ‘Blanc VSOP’ (40%, OB, Germany, blended rum, +/-2020)

It comes in various colours, you see. What I understand here is that this is a blend of different Caribbean rums, assembled in Germany. We are told online that it pairs nicely with grilled meats, so our expectations remain fairly modest. The ‘red’ version had, however, been perfectly decent back in 2020 (WF 72). Colour: extremely pale white wine. Nose: nothing. That's that sorted. Mouth: touches of vanilla and a drop of corn syrup. Finish: short, on hay and bagasse. Comments: it is seriously handicapped in the aroma department, but at least they have not drowned it in sugar. Hence the... average score. BTW the use of the word "blanc" in French could suggest that these are French rums, but it might just be a bit of a marketing trick.
SGP:330 - 50 points.

Right, let's be a bit adventurous with the last one, shall we?

Variable ‘Dunderclap’ (74%, Rum et al., USA, +/-2025)

Unaged pot-distilled molasses rum, they say, still-strength. And our lawyer is once again out on the golf course and therefore unreachable... In any case, this baby contains 33% dunder, added before distillation of course. And we are in California... Right then, let's hang on... Colour: white. Nose: rather restrained by the formidable level of ethanol, yet we do detect a combination of tar and acetone, followed by pear eau-de-vie. Make that about a hundred litres of it. With water: reducing such a beast properly in a glass is no easy task, even your favourite pipette may well decide to go on strike. In short, apart from softening it a little, we do not achieve very much. At least I don't. Mouth (neat): if you take no more than a tiny drop, you do indeed find a combination of pear, varnish, brine and finger lime... The whole idea, after all, is to remain in control, isn't it? With water: it barely changes, even with plenty of water. Salt, lemon, gherkins, chilli, brine and even a touch of garlic. Finish: much the same, and seemingly for eternity. Lime, and we do mean lime, not just any citrus. Comments: frankly, I rather like this completely mad concoction. The great advantage is that a single 5cl miniature should also be enough to entertain fifty guests for an entire evening. I am barely exaggerating. In short, it is probably not really something that can be scored by whisky standards, but the sheer idea behind it appeals to us enormously.
SGP:363 - 85 points.

We'll leave it there for now, but all being well, we'll have a second batch of white rums for you next Sunday. Stay tuned.

Check the index of all rums we've tasted