Savanna Rhum Vieux Traditionnel 5 Year Old
Savanna · Distillerie Savanna
A quietly commanding rum that rewards patient sipping — Savanna's traditionnel style bridges the fruit-forward warmth of the Caribbean with an Indian Ocean earthiness that feels wholly its own.
Nose
Warm brown butter and roasted pineapple lead, followed by pipe tobacco, cocoa nibs, and a whisper of overripe banana. A gentle waft of leather and sun-warmed oak grounds the fruit.
Palate
Silky and medium-bodied, delivering toffee, candied orange peel, and baked apricot. Mid-palate reveals espresso grounds, dark honey, and a distinct volcanic minerality — a dry, ashy edge that sets Réunion apart.
Finish
Long and gently smoky, with lingering cocoa, dried fig, and a warm cinnamon-clove note that fades into oak tannin.
- Base Ingredient
- Sugarcane molasses from Réunion Island
- Distillation
- Column still distillation, aged 5 years in ex-Cognac and French oak casks under tropical maturation conditions
- Country
- Saint-André, Réunion Island, France
Cocktail Suggestion
Cinder & Cane — 2 oz Savanna Rhum Vieux Traditionnel 5 Year, 0.75 oz fresh lime juice, 0.5 oz demerara syrup, 0.25 oz Amaro Nonino, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Shake with ice, strain into a chilled coupe, express an orange peel over the top and discard.
Food Pairing
Grilled pineapple with black pepper and dark chocolate ganache, or a slice of dense flourless espresso torte.
Founded in 1870 on the slopes of Réunion's Piton des Neiges volcano, Distillerie Savanna is one of the last producers crafting rum from three distinct traditions — traditionnel, agricole, and the funk-laden grand arôme — all shaped by the island's relentless equatorial heat.
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