SAMPAN Classic White Rum 65% (Vietnam)

Volume: 0.7 litres | Alcohol content: 65% | Chill filtration: No | Colouring: No

Special Features:

Fresh sugarcane juice is the basis of this white SAMPAN rum from Vietnam. It is distilled in a copper column before its strength is slowly reduced for bottling. Despite the Fullproof designation, water is also added to the 65% version for this purpose; nothing else is added. The rum remains unfiltered and is bottled without colouring.

The rum in batch 003 was distilled in March 2020 and bottled in November of the same year. For this vintage, the fresh juice fermented for 96 hours in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Intense sugarcane notes, hints of tropical fruit and a sweet, powerful palate define the bottling. The bottle contains 0.7 litres and comes in gift packaging whose red sailboat echoes the design of the bottle label.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Fresh sugarcane clearly leads on the nose, accompanied by hints of tropical fruit.
• Palate: The rum is sweet and powerful on the palate.
• Finish: The long finish is warm, with lingering sweetness and gentle heat.

Distillery/Bottler:

Distillerie d'Indochine lies south of Hoi An on the Vietnamese coast and produces the rums of the SAMPAN brand. Behind the company are Antoine Poircuitte and his two partners, Yann and Julien. Poircuitte first encountered distilling as a child through his grandparents, who distilled cherries and mirabelle plums, among other fruits, in France. The brand name SAMPAN refers to a lightweight, flat-bottomed boat used in Southeast Asia.

The distillery works with local sugarcane growers. The cane is cut by hand and pressed within 24 hours to preserve the freshness of the juice. It is pressed just once, without added water. Distillation takes place in an all-copper column named Odette, previously used for Armagnac. After an initial resting period, the alcohol content of the white rums is reduced drop by drop over several months.

Facts: