Review by: Raygun

A quick note before anything else for the sake of transparency. This review was done with an industry sample provided free of charge, with no expectations beyond drinking it. As always, I do my best to provide my unbiased opinion, and readers can decide how they want to take these reviews . For more, check out the ethics statement we use on Maltrunners.com.

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Isautier has been around since 1845, founded by French settlers on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. This is cane juice rum produced on a two-column still and aged for 16 years locally. Rested about 10 minutes. 

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Distillery: Isautier

Bottler: La Maison & Velier

Region/style: Réunion column still rum from fresh cane juice

ABV: 59% 

Age: 16 years. Distilled and barreled in 2006 and bottled in 2022. 

Cask type: Unknown. 3790 bottles.

Color: 1.4 tawny.

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Nose: Now this smells interesting. A very unusual woody note, camphor maybe? Cloves, incense, pickle brine.    

Palate: This is weird and fun. Cloves, incense, brown sugar, pickled ginger (like with sushi). Some kind of herbal flavor, too. This is something different. 

Finish: Flan, pickled ginger, cloves, shiso leaf. Strange combination here as well. But I’m into it.   

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Conclusion: This was a fun ride. Some strange flavors, but somehow put together I kept wanting more. I’m honestly a bit scared of agricole, but I liked this one better than the molasses rum. If I were to get a bottle, it would definitely be this one.

Score: 86

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Scoring Legend:

• 95-100: As good as it gets. Jaw-dropping, eye-widening, unforgettable.
• 90-94: Sublime, a personal favorite in its category.
• 85-89: Excellent, a standout dram.
• 80-84: Quite good. Quality stuff.
• 75-79: Decent rum worth tasting.
• 70-74: Meh. It’s definitely drinkable, but it can do better.
• 60-69: Not so good. I might not turn down a glass if I needed a drink.
• 50-59: Save it for mixing.
• 0-49: Blech.