Penny Blue XO Single Estate Mauritian Rum
Penny Blue · Medine Distillery
Penny Blue XO is a stunning ambassador for Mauritian rum — a category still underexplored by most drinkers. Its rich, autumnal character and impeccable balance between tropical fruit sweetness and oak-driven depth make it a contemplative sipper perfectly suited to cooler evenings. At its price point, it punches well above its weight against Caribbean XO bottlings.
Nose
A lavish bouquet of toasted coconut, caramelized banana, and baking spices greets the glass. Underneath, warm oak and vanilla mingle with dried tropical fruit and a whisper of dark chocolate, evoking the warmth of an autumn hearth.
Palate
Rich and velvety, the palate opens with toffee and muscovado sugar before unfolding into layers of roasted coffee, dried mango, and cinnamon-spiced oak. A gentle nuttiness bridges the sweetness to a drier, tannic mid-palate that speaks to extended cask maturation.
Finish
Long and warming, with lingering molasses, toasted oak, and a final breath of dark chocolate that fades like the last light of an October evening.
- Base Ingredient
- Sugarcane molasses
- Distillation
- Column still distillation from fresh sugarcane molasses, with portions of the blend also pot-distilled for added complexity
- Country
- Mauritius
Cocktail Suggestion
The Autumn Post — 2 oz Penny Blue XO · 0.75 oz fresh lemon juice · 0.5 oz cinnamon syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Shake with ice, strain into a coupe, garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel and a cinnamon stick
Food Pairing
The rum's toffee and molasses character mirrors the caramelized glaze on the pork belly, while its oak tannins cut through the richness. Roasted sweet potatoes with a touch of brown butter and sage echo the warm, autumnal spice notes on the palate.
Distilled from Mauritian sugarcane on an island estate once famed for its racehorses — Penny Blue was named after the world's rarest postage stamp, first printed on Mauritius in 1847 — this XO expression channels centuries of Indian Ocean rum tradition into a bottle that remains one of the spirit world's best-kept secrets.
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