I can’t remember a time when I was so impressed with an unaged rum, but @sangarrum really did blow me away after tasting it at @tamba.singapore just this evening. Founded by Mike Sehzue in 2012, Sanga rum produces an agricole-style rum from Liberia, distilled from fresh sugarcane juice sourced from nine local farms located in the vicinity of the distillery in Nimba county.

Even at 40% abv, the rum was rich in complexity, with the nose bearing great semblance to Capovilla’s raspberry eau-de-vie, fruity, bright, juicy even, though it too had a softer, grassier side that @yomarivera rightfully pointed out came close to the Clairins of Haiti.

The palate for me was near perfect, I’d daresay even one of the best I’ve had in awhile, where there were those grassy notes, ripe yellow bananas, paired with the most amazing fresh, smokiness that shined through. You could almost imagine as though the rum was distilled over a wood-fired pot still, infusing the rum with the essence of fresh toasted wood, yet delicately balanced and complemented the brighter notes of before.

With all these wonderful elements encapsulated in a rum of 40% abv, imagine what flavours await should Sangar rum release one all at full proof. Its something I think many would certainly love to taste, and I am quietly hoping that we’d see that in the near future.

Image Courtesy of @weixiang_liu