Takamaka Extra Noir Rum - Neue GP

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 43% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: Yes

Special Features:

Takamaka Extra Noir from the St André Series combines oak contact with a subsequent resting period in casks. Its base consists of a light column-distilled molasses rum and small quantities of an ester-rich pot still rum produced under contract to Takamaka’s specifications. French oak contributes spice, while wood from former bourbon casks adds vanilla and sweet notes. The rum is full-bodied and powerful, making it particularly suitable for highballs or pairing with a ginger mixer.

The refinement process produces two components treated differently: one third of the blend spends two hours in contact with pieces of French oak, while two thirds steep for seven days with fine particles of American white oak from former bourbon casks. After the wood particles have been removed by filtration, each component undergoes six hours of hydrodynamic cavitation. This mechanical process helps integrate the flavours and round out the rum.

After blending, the rum rests for 60 days at 65% in second-fill French oak casks that previously held sugarcane juice rum for around ten years. It is then reduced to 43%. A small addition of caramel colouring ensures consistent colour between batches. Extra Noir contains no added sugar and is not chill-filtered. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and is supplied in gift packaging.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Toasted and freshly sawn oak lead on the nose. Delicate vanilla, subtle wisps of smoke and a faint estery note complement the woody impression.
• Palate: On the palate, the rum is full-bodied and distinctly oak-forward.
• Finish: The finish is long-lasting, with a dense, almost chewy texture.

Distillery/Bottler:

Takamaka is produced by Trois Frères Distillery at La Plaine St. André on the east coast of Mahé. Brothers Bernard and Richard d’Offay opened the distillery in February 2002. Bernard had begun his first experiments with his father Robert in 2000; without suitable equipment, they even used the family swimming pool for cooling. The family’s interest in rum goes back further: their grandfather René Michel d’Offay made Rum Arrangé, in which fruit, spices and other plant ingredients are steeped in alcohol.

As the Seychelles has no local sugar industry to supply the molasses it needs, the distillery sources it from the Indian Ocean region. For its own molasses rum production, it dilutes the raw material with spring water, ferments it for three and a half days and distils the fermented liquid in a multi-column system. Alongside traditional cask maturation, Takamaka also uses hydrodynamic cavitation to develop distinctive flavour profiles with different oak woods. The inspiration came from processes used in the Californian and Australian wine industries.

Facts: