Sampan Rhum Vietnam 43% & 65%
Copyright for the gallery picture:
Origin: Vietnam / 43% / 65% / Price: 35€ & 50€
Sampan Rhum (especially the Overproof) has won quite a lot of international medals in the last 2 years. The origin of the rhum is the Distillerie d'Indochine, founded by three Frenchmen and located in the south of the coastal city of Hoi An, within the Vietnamese province of Quang Nam. Located right on the beach, the distillery processes only the fresh juice of local sugar cane in a copper column still sourced from Armagnac, the region of another well-known spirit in their homeland. During a resting period of several months in stainless steel tanks, the alcohol volume is adjusted using pure osmosis water. The sugar cane is harvested by hand, within a maximum range of 40km from the distillery and delivered to it within 24h (according to thelonecaner.com). All steps in the production are followed and monitored extremely precisely, as one is accustomed to concerning the strict, French Agricole regulations and perhaps even a little more precisely than usual in this case.
I like both expressions, the 43% in my opinion with more fruit flavors and a nice overall balance can work great in stirred Rhum drinks. Meanwhile the Overproof, with a lot of your grassy and even vegetal Agricole character, which already comes through a bit more complex than the standard Agricole Blancs of other brands, can show off in various acid-emphasized drinks without losing anything of its notes. A split base in stirred drinks with both expressions can be an interesting solution here too. An example of a signature serve by me can be found here. Otherwise you definitely can't go wrong with a Ti Punch or the great Tour Le Carbet from Shannon Mustipher's book "TIKI".
Sampan Rhum Vietnam 43%
Nose:
Wonderfully aromatic, a little reminiscent of the beautiful Clairin range from Haiti, warming, fresh, sugar cane juice, fresh ginger juice, cardamom, nice pistachios and almonds pureed, guava and star fruit, associations of cucumber water in between, this green, acidic freshness and then again fresh lemon sorbet
Taste:
Ginger, sugar cane juice, now also more fresh grasses come in the style of more typical Agricoles, but a nice fruit acidity remains more concise here than in most grassy Agricoles, mango chips, pineapple chips, lemongrass, camphor, almonds
Finish:
Grasses, subtle eucalyptus, almonds, pineapple chips, very round, almost surprisingly delicate for a white rhum, even with 43%
Sampan Rhum Vietnam Fullproof 65%
Nose:
The alcohol volume is of course noticeable in the nose, the aromas are sometimes somewhat obscured by the strength, but you will find clear notes of lemongrass, sugar cane juice, spicy ginger, white pepper and unripe pineapple & mango
Taste:
As in the nose, the % are quite obvious here, camphor, pineapple with peel, tarragon, lemongrass, white pepper, fresh ginger, some green bell pepper, olives and sweet grasses, a lot of salivation from the half, which leads to a little more tropical fruit, dried guava and kiwi next to the pineapple, licorice
Finish:
Astringent, remains dry with some power, ginger, lemongrass and pineapple peel, white pepper
The 2 samples were provided by KIRSCH Import, thanks!
