Head to Reunion Island with the very prolific Savanna distillery and a session under the sign of white rum and their Grands Arômes… For the technical side and production of the Grand Arôme, we refer you to this page , and for the HERR it will be here ; for the rest, it is below. Happy reading…

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Varangue Grand Arôme / 40°

A mass-market brand that offered rums from Savanna (generally mentioned on the label); there is an agricultural rum under the same brand, several old ones (5, 10 years with an alcohol content of 49°), punches and even cane syrup.

The opportunity here to see any similarity with the classic white Lontan. Note that the brand belongs to the SOGIM group, bought in 2012 by La Martiniquaise. Consequently, and from this date, there is a good chance that the rums come from another distillery (Rivière du Mat?). Historically for Savanna, the Varangue brand replaced the "LACAZE" brand which also offered bulk sold by Savanna.

Quite oily color, many legs drawing bars on the walls.
On the nose, the rum is greedy and sweet in addition to being concentrated like any good Grand Arôme that respects itself. The fruit is excessively mature, long since fallen to the ground and in the process of decomposition; we can easily imagine citrus fruits and disemboweled pineapple whose juice flows on the ground and whose flesh exudes swollen and acidic perfumes. A very beautiful experience for those who appreciate the style. The pineapple is quite over-present, easily eclipsing the more briny notes of olive in favor of a sweet acid, finely spicy and peppery. Very beautiful nose.

On the palate, the attack is oily, honeyed and warm, and we find this pineapple always at the top of its form, vegetal notes that come out of the shadows, on brine and spices, cane and fresh (and refreshing) herbs. It builds in power and remains very pleasant, the pineapple marking the mouth, followed by spicy spices soon caught up by heavy fermentation notes (artichoke) that will remain. The finish is moderately long and will persist on the overexcited vegetal with an aftertaste of pineapple.

A very seductive pineapple nose on a well-balanced sweet and tangy profile, and a concentrated mouth that lacks a bit of response. Less balanced and well-made than the classic Lontan, but still very nice and very aromatic for its 40°. Long live the Grand Arôme. Rating: 81

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Savanna Grand Arome Lontan / 40°

An old-fashioned fermentation for a rum to be ranked alongside the High Esters: a more seductive English term than our Grand Arôme with its (still too) low-quality image and yet so interesting. To be ranked alongside the funky Jamaican whites and other UFOs.

Oily and colorless dress, wide legs.
The nose is rich and concentrated; it is very pleasant from the start, round (velvety) and seductive on the flowers, fresh on the menthol, citrus fruits, almond. The spices support the whole very nicely (ginger, pepper, nutmeg) and the olives appear without overdoing it. Everything blends in a beautiful harmony, on a fermented (heavy) and gourmet cane, for a white that makes you dream, very flattering and that borders the seaside and its mineral heights. We want to bite into it so much it is soft. With rest, this white becomes more opulent on vegetal notes (vegetables) and even fruits (exotic: banana, pineapple). A very fresh cane brandy.

On the palate, this Lontan is once again very round and very sweet, on an exotic olive, a sea of ​​oil licked by an enterprising sun that shreds a generous fruitiness; on fresh cane, spices, menthol. Between fruity and vegetal, always fresh and creamy on the palate, delicate on the palate and sweet. The finish is rather long and tasty, always in a very nice balance, very fair. It just lacks more power to see further.

A rich and elegant white, delicious and unique, with a very beautiful accuracy; and all at 40° please. A must-try for lovers of high esters, Jamaicans, a palliative to Clairin, a very good white, quite simply. Note: 85

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Long Savannah LMDW / 57°

an edition released on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of LMDW, and the unique opportunity to discover a Lontan white at natural strength. Enough to give chills to lovers of the genre. We are talking here about 15 days of fermentation. 1000 bottles were produced in 70cl bottles.

Crystalline and oily dress; beautiful sight to see its many tears and legs that impress by their number and their nonchalance.
On the nose, the high alcohol content magnifies the Lontan, revealing an excessive and very gourmet exotic side, on banana and melon, very sweet and seductive (heady even with its floral bouquet), eclipsing the olives of the classic version. The iodine and sea air caress our exotic fruits and literally sublimate them in a superb nose, all roundness and smoothness, and freshness! The cane is proud and gourmet, mature and magnified; the sunny spices (curry, turmeric) greatly contribute to a high-energy, hot and humid atmosphere. It's simple, this nose has everything to please: fruity, vegetal, spices and a unique and enjoyable mineral side.

On the palate, the attack is oily and rich, even becomes fatty and floods your palate with warm aromas, caresses you with its sweet and fresh notes at the same time. A melting pot of flavors ranging from fruit full of sugar to menthol/anise through loving and peppery spices, in a stunning accuracy and always supported by the best of the cane. The mineral notes here again sublimate the whole, and all this salt gives an unparalleled complexity and richness. A delightful white, very carnal and of stunning freshness, with an endless finish, always fresh, mineral and fruity, to the lees…

This Lontan is simply magnificent, and offering it at 57° is a stroke of genius. It makes you forget the classic version very quickly and stands out as one of the best white rums on the market, including agricultural, smooth, rich and enjoyable in the mouth, and so (already) complex. Rating: 92

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Savanna HERR / 57°

Do you remember the HERR 10 years? I do…. Savanna offers us here its genesis: a white HERR that will have remained in vats for 11 years. It will have lost a lot of congeners from this long rest, even excluding it from the Grand Arôme family;

The dress is fat, always topped with a thick disk and multitudes of legs, greedy. On the palm of the hand, the exotic smells begin to swear (pineapple).
On the nose, we have a very funky (and very rich) white rum that reminds us without too much surprise of the old HERR discovered last year, with a pineapple and ultra-present fruity-acidic notes. It's simple, blind you will swear to a pineapple carpaccio. Add a touch of perfume and you get a white that becomes seductive, very exotic, fresh and floral. With the rest appear other acidic fruits, red this time, notably strawberry for an atypical and unique moment, beachside atmosphere (saline). Lovers of old HERR will appreciate it, the others probably much less, given the concentration of the beast. We revolve a lot around the same aromatic palette, even if the rest will announce more vegetal notes (vegetable, steam, opulent and macerated cane).

On the palate, the attack is oily and sweet, even if ultra-concentrated (and still funky): very acidic-sweet and ultra-fresh. A UFO? and not just a little! the sweet spectrum prevails and probably avoids falling into the excess of saline and acidic notes. Here, it is rather a mixture of sweet dried fruits, with of course its share of candied pineapple, and a fresh mint; so fresh that it concentrates the mouth in an explosion of flavors, iodized. Very beautiful rendering for a hyper concentrated white, with good memory of the old HERR but easier to access (even if still eccentric). The finish is long and impregnating, with good memory of pineapple, fruity and very fresh, tangy.

A very pleasant white, as long as you like pineapple and that tangy candy profile. Very concentrated too, but ultimately very pleasant. Score: 86

To help you (and me) find your way around, regarding the notes:

90 and + : exceptional and unique rum, it is the best of the best
between 85 and 89 : highly recommended rum, with that little something that makes the difference
between 80 and 84 : recommendable rum
75-79 POINTS : above average
70-74 POINTS : in the low average
less than 70 : not very good

Review courtesy of DuRhum.com.

From the folks behind DuRhum, Velier, and more, comes a premium online marketplace for rum enthusiasts by rum enthusiasts! Do check out www.rowspirits.fr for more great content and iconic rums!