Isautier 16 Year Old Molasses Rum

Isautier 16 Year Old Molasses Rum is a cask-strength 114-proof (57% ABV) 16-year-old traditional rum from Réunion Island, in a 750mL bottle — barreled in 2006, bottled in September 2022, and aged all sixteen years in tropical conditions in the distillery cellar at Saint-Pierre. It's part of the exceptional-cask series from La Maison & Velier with Maison Isautier, founded in 1845 and run by seven generations of the same family — the oldest rum distillery on Réunion. Just 2,035 bottles exist. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• Proof / ABV: 114 proof (57% ABV) — cask strength, no adulteration
• Size: 750mL
• Age: 16 years (barreled 2006, bottled Sept 2022) — fully tropically aged
• Origin: Saint-Pierre, Réunion Island (French overseas department)
• Still: traditional two-column still; molasses-based (traditional, not agricole)
• Bottles: 2,035 bottles worldwide

Sixteen Tropical Years in the Cellar

Tropical aging is the accelerant of the rum world — a year in Réunion's heat does the extraction work of several in a temperate warehouse. This expression is the molasses half of the pair: fermented molasses distilled on Isautier's two-column still, then left alone for sixteen years. La Maison & Velier bottles it exactly as it came out of the cask — no coloring, no sweetening. The result is the profound, mineral-driven end of the range. Compare it with its sugarcane twin, or see more from Isautier and Del Mesa's rum shelf.

Tasting Notes

The official Velier sheet calls the profile profound and mineral-driven: lush, powerful dried apricot, bitter orange, vanilla, lavender, and honey on the nose; refined and concentrated cocoa, dahlia, persimmon, orange jam, coconut, and camphor on the palate; a long, supple finish of honeysuckle, ginseng, ripe orange, toffee, and herbaceous notes. Drinkhacker gave it an A — hearty fruit and florals up front, then licorice, dark chocolate, pure molasses, anise, and tobacco, finishing fruity with chocolate, vanilla, and coconut lingering.

How to Enjoy

Neat in a Glencairn or copita — at 114 proof it takes a few drops of water beautifully, opening the fruit. This is a tasting bottle, not a mixing bottle.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between the Isautier 16 molasses and sugarcane rums?
The molasses expression (this bottle) is traditional rum at 57% ABV / 114 proof, 2,035 bottles, with a profound, mineral-driven profile. The sugarcane twin is agricole-style at 59% ABV / 118 proof, 3,790 bottles, with a complex, lively profile. Same distillery, same 16 tropical years, different cane material and spirit.

Is Isautier 16 Year Old Molasses Rum cask strength?
Yes — 114 proof (57% ABV), bottled with no coloring or sweetening.

Where is Réunion Island?
In the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar — a French overseas department, home to Maison Isautier since 1845.

Why are there only 2,035 bottles?
It's a single-vintage cask release from 2006 — when the casks were empty, the bottling was done.

A collector-grade bottle from a 1845 distillery — secure one of 2,035 online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA, before they're gone.