This grogue natural is a pure white cane juice rum from Cape Verde. It comes precisely from Tarrafal, a village overlooking the sea on the island of Santo Antão.
Grogue is to Cape Verde what cachaça is to Brazil, clairin to Haiti, and rhum agricole to the French West Indies and Madeira. It's a way of referring to rum that comes from a very specific terroir, and whose production methods are rooted in tradition.
Since the 16th century, it has been made from the juice of cane grown on volcanic soil, among fruit trees. No fertilizers or pesticides are used...
Nico's tasting notes
The nose is extremely seductive from the outset. The cane is open, lively, colorful, fruity and generously vegetal. The aromas are powerful, heady, but not at all aggressive: this is a beautiful, very natural eau-de-vie.
With aeration, we have a real encounter with the cane. It appears even more clearly. Its lightly peppery, licorice notes are only there to excite our sweet tooth, as is its very sweet side, sometimes reminiscent of ketchup or barbecue sauce.
Like the nose, the palate is natural and generous. It's a concentrate of cane, peppery and licorice-like, with both the dry notes of its bark and the rounded, vegetal aromas of its fiber. There's a fine fermentation, sometimes approaching celery, cabbage and fennel, without ever becoming wild, despite the hint of olive that eventually emerges.
The finish is long, still with the impression of cane au naturel, sustained by the saltiness of a small olive in brine.
"A superb cane brandy that captures the soul of our favorite reed...".
Sylvie and Marc MORIZOT
Excellent grogue...