John was fortunate enough to have a work trip to Mauritius, and he brought me back a tasting pack of Saint Aubin Rhum. I have been exploring rum these last few months and learning more about rum in general.
Mauritius is one of those undiscovered rhum producing countries we always forget about. I see regular releases from Barbados, Jamaican and the Caribbean region. But Mauritius is just around the corner from us, and slowly, more of their rhums are making it to South Africa. You can now find New Grove, Chamarel and Penny Blue rums at NWW.
La Plantation de Saint Aubin has been cultivating sugar cane since 1819. The plantation is situated in the south of Mauritius, and the distillery was added later on. The distillery gets its name comes from one of its first owners, Pierre de Saint Aubin.
Saint Aubin makes Mauritian Agricola rhums from freshly squeezed sugar cane juice. The fermented cane juice is distilled once only in an alembic still.
The tasting pack contained the following rhums.
Saint Aubin Rhum Agricole (40%)
A pot stilled blanc Agricole bottled at 40% ABV. Tasting notes include creamy sweet fruit, blueberries, green pine needles and clean green notes. This is a great rhum for cocktails.
Saint Aubin Rhum Agricol (50%)
A blanc Agricole bottled at 50% ABV. My tasting notes captured notes of blackberries and raspberries, fruit pastilles and aniseed. The dark berry notes on this jump out on the nose. Smooth and drinkable. Soft hints of freshly grated lemon peel.
Saint Aubin Epice Rhum
A spice-infused rhum with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. There was a snicker doodle cookie element with almonds, rosewater and macadamia nuts. My favourite of all the rums we tasted. This is perfect for sipping neat like whisky. Bottled at 40%.
Saint Aubin Vanille Rhum
Bourbon vanilla and toffee sweetness. Nice and sweet, but a bit one dimensional. This rhum will work very nicely with some mix or in a cuba libre cocktail. Bottled at 40%.
Saint Aubin Café Rhum
A coffee flavoured rum that reminded me of Kahlua coffee liqueur. I found it a bit one dimensional where the coffee overwhelmed any other flavours. This rhum will make a great cocktail rhum.
When we return to Mauritius later in the year, I will try to visit Rhumerie de Saint Aubin and do a more in-depth exploration of their rums. For now I will just sit back and dream of tropical islands and sunshine while sipping my cocktails.
Update: Visit to Saint Aubin Rum Rhumerie
During January 2023 I managed to visit the Rhumerie de Saint Aubin in Mauritius. It’s a wonderful drive out to the south side of the island through small villages next to the ocean. The rhumerie is situated just past Souillac. On the estate, there is a restaurant, a nursery with beautiful tropical plants, and a small vanilla plantation where you can see how vanilla is cultivated.
At the tasting room, there are many of the Saint Aubin rums available to taste. Most of the rum that I described above is available for tasting and there are a few more as well.
These fruit-flavoured rum liqueurs are delicious. Ice cold from the fridge on a hot island afternoon, they hit the spot just right. My favourite was the Pina Colada and I see they are available in the regular supermarkets in Mauritius as well.
Saint Aubin also released a gin made from pure sugar cane juice and flavoured with juniper berries. It has a sweeter undertone due to the sugar cane juice base and is perfect as a sipping gin. Perfect for if you enjoy juniper-forward gins. Soft and smooth and very drinkable.
Also Read: Rum vs Whiskey
Leave a Reply