Sampan
Sampan is a pure cane juice rum from the Distillerie d'Indochine, located a few kilometers south of the city of Hoi An. It was born in 2019 under the impetus of three friends, Antoine Poircuitte, Julien Masset and Jan Visser. The first, Antoine, is Sampan's master distiller. After growing up with a grandfather who was a distiller and distillateur de cru, he went on to study business in the wine and spirits sector. He began his career as a wine salesman in Vietnam and Hong Kong. Back in France, he became Asia-Pacific export manager for Marie-Brizard, before leaving for Asia. In Shanghai, he took charge of Marie-Brizard's Asian subsidiary.
The idea of opening his own distillery had been in the back of his mind for some time. After several years of research and development, the idea was born. His choice fell on Vietnam, because beyond his love affair with the country, it's one of the cradles of sugar cane. The varieties and cultivation of sugar cane have been preserved for centuries.
Sampan rum production
In their approach to producing agricultural-style rum, Antoine and his partners have chosen to focus on the freshness of their raw materials and short supply chains. That's why the yellow cane (endemic cane known as "K-vàng") is harvested just a few dozen kilometers from the distillery, in the Quang Nam region.
Grown without chemicals, this cane is cut by hand from February to August. Harvesting takes place in the evening, for pressing the following morning. This ensures a maximum of 12 hours between the two operations.
The juice comes from a single press, and is filtered before being fermented with rum yeast. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled vats. This extends the fermentation period by 3 to 4 days, producing a highly aromatic 11-12% cane wine. Distillation takes place in a 1000-liter Armagnac column still. The rum yield is around 68-70%.
Sampan rums
The name Sampan refers to a typical South-East Asian boat. The distillery offers white rums that are reduced very slowly (up to 7 months) by dripping, in stainless steel tanks. The 43% Sampan is the most accessible and versatile. Next come Sampan Overproof 54% and Sampan Full Proof 65%. The latter is the closest to brut de colonne, and is very expressive.
Amber rums are aged for 8 to 12 months in ex-cognac casks. They are bottled unfinished. A spiced rum has also joined the range, as well as aged rums. These, too, are aged in cognac barrels in the distillery's seaside cellar. Read less
