Isautier 16 Year Old Sugarcane Rum
Isautier 16 Year Old Sugarcane Rum is a cask-strength 118-proof (59% ABV) 16-year-old agricole rum from Réunion Island, in a 750mL bottle — distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice from small local planters, barreled in May 2006, bottled in September 2022, and aged all sixteen years in tropical conditions at the distillery in Saint-Pierre. It's the agricole half of the La Maison & Velier × Isautier exceptional-cask series, from the island's oldest distillery (Maison Isautier, 1845). Only 3,790 bottles were produced. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 118 proof (59% ABV) — cask strength, no adulteration
- Size: 750mL
- Age: 16 years (barreled May 2006, bottled Sept 2022) — fully tropically aged
- Origin: Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island (French overseas department)
- Style: agricole — distilled from fresh sugarcane juice (not molasses); off the still at 69–74% ABV
- Bottles: 3,790 bottles worldwide
The Agricole Twin
Where the molasses expression is profound and mineral, this one is complex and lively — cane-juice spirit holds its vegetal, terroir-driven character through long aging in a way molasses rum doesn't. Sixteen tropical years in oak rounded it without taming it: salted caramel and spice over a green, floral backbone. Same distillery, same 2006 vintage era, same Velier no-adulteration bottling — a genuinely different rum. Read about the molasses sibling, browse Isautier, or see Del Mesa's rum shelf.
Tasting Notes
The official Velier sheet: luscious, smooth dried fruits, tropical notes, ginger, cinnamon, and citrus peel on the nose; powerful, supple salted butter caramel, geranium, and juniper berries on the palate; a long, lasting finish of beeswax, orange zest, dark chocolate, cloves, and camphor. Drinkhacker (B+) found it vegetal up top with figs and vanilla tempered by greenery and camphor, cinnamon, clove, and caramel on the back end — perfumed and floral with a little water.
How to Enjoy
Neat, with a splash of water to lift the floral notes — at 118 proof it earns it. Agricole lovers will want this next to the molasses version for the side-by-side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does agricole mean?
Agricole rum is distilled from fresh-pressed sugarcane juice rather than molasses — it keeps more of the cane's vegetal, grassy character.
How is this different from the Isautier 16 molasses rum?
Same distillery and same 16 tropical years, but this bottle is cane-juice (agricole) spirit at 59% ABV / 118 proof with 3,790 bottles and a complex, lively profile — the molasses one is 57% / 114 proof, 2,035 bottles, profound and mineral-driven.
Is it cask strength?
Yes — 118 proof (59% ABV), no coloring or sweetening.
How old is it really?
Barreled May 2006 and bottled September 2022 — sixteen years, all of it in Réunion's tropical heat.
Sixteen tropical years of cane-juice rum in one bottle — order Isautier 16 Year Old Sugarcane Rum online from Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.