PAPA ROUYO 2022/2023 - Habitation Velier

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 56.7% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

This Papa Rouyo bottling combines fresh sugarcane juice with one year of maturation at the distillery in Guadeloupe. It is made from the Canne Matos and Canne Rouge varieties grown on Charles Albert Ruscade’s four historic hectares. The rum was distilled in 2022 exclusively in the Agathe and Danielle pot stills and matured in ex-Cognac casks and French oak casks. It therefore belongs to the Pure Single Rum category: rums from a single distillery made entirely by batch distillation in pot stills.

More than 8% was lost to evaporation in the tropical climate during that single year. This so-called angel’s share illustrates how strongly storage conditions affect the quantity available. Habitation Velier bottled the rum at cask strength in 2023 at 56.7%. It contains no added sugar or colouring and is not chill-filtered. The bottling comes in gift packaging featuring an illustration of the two stills.

Another distinctive feature is the disclosed composition of its aromatic compounds: the congener content is 430.1 grams per hectolitre of pure alcohol, of which 101.6 grams are esters. Its pronounced floral nose contrasts with a creamy, increasingly fruity palate and a fresh sugarcane finish.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: The nose is concentrated, with particularly intense honeysuckle blossom. Aeration brings out candied ginger and nutmeg, while cane sugar and oak complete the aromatic picture.
• Palate: The palate opens with clarity and definition, initially offering vanilla and an almost milky creaminess reminiscent of yoghurt and crème fraîche. Candied lemon and grapefruit follow, along with pineapple and plantain. Towards the end, the texture becomes slightly fibrous.
• Finish: The long finish feels as soft as peach skin. Candied ginger returns and gives way to creamy toffee notes. Fresh sugarcane juice lends a refreshing impression to the aftertaste.

Distillery/Bottler:

Papa Rouyo is a microdistillery in Goyave, Guadeloupe. Its name honours sugarcane grower Charles Albert Ruscade, whose family and a community of experienced growers launched the project. These Maîtres-Canniers contribute their knowledge of the individual plots, soils and sugarcane varieties. Agriculture thus underpins not only the name but also the production process.

The distillery uses two pot stills rather than a rectifying column. Agathe is the wash still for the first distillation, while Danielle is the spirit still for the second. They are named after Charles Albert Ruscade’s wife and one of his daughters. Separating the heads, heart and tails during both distillations allows the heart to be selected for the rum. Papa Rouyo works with various coopers for cask maturation; wood selection and cask charring are among the decisions the distillery uses to shape its different rums.

Habitation Velier develops bottlings together with the respective rum producers. The range focuses on rums distilled entirely in pot stills and the differences between them, making their stills, raw materials, regional conditions and production methods easier to understand. Maturation takes place at each distillery’s own location. No sugar, colouring or other additives are used.

Facts: