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We’re really excited about all of our Boutique-y rums but, some really stand out for holding traits that are a little different to the norm. The ISSAN Distillery release - code name ‘Flower’* - is a Pure Single Rum, in other words a Pot Still Rum from a Single Distillery. More specifically, it's made from a single variety of sugarcane processed with care and attention in a way that is truly remarkable and truly artisanal.

*We didn’t give it a code name, I just made that bit up, but hey it sounded cool eh?

ISSAN used a monovarietal sugarcane from their own plantation, specifically a Red sugarcane variety which was grown in the 2014/2015 season. Harvested when the sugarcane pushes up it’s flowers, this is when the sugarcane is at the end of its cycle, and when ISSAN believe the sugarcane is most aromatic.

Not content with being ‘that’ specific about their selection process, ISSAN display a further level of attention to detail in that they use only the heart of the sugarcane. Yeap, every stick of cane is peeled - a process carried out by hand - something that feels as much a labour of love, but is carried out for a reason. The outer skin of the sugarcane has its own taste, and ISSAN are keen to capture only the sweet, fruity notes of the core.

Details, details… Thirty kilos of sugarcane yields just one litre of rum. Fermentation utilises 100 % sugarcane juice, i.e.; no water added. They use a classic yeast strain, much the same as other agricole rhum producers, with the process taking around three days typically.

This batch was produced last February 2015, using their 400 litre Copper Pot Still - a single distillation, rather than double as you might get with some producers. The new make spirit resting in stainless steel tanks for 35 months; a process they call “Affinage”. The final reduction from 57% to the bottle strength of 40%ABV was made by slowly adding water, a process carried out in January 2018.