La Maison & Velier(LM&V) is collaborating with Maison Isautier to create a co-bottled series of exceptional casks coming from the oldest stocks of Isautier’s cellar. The series currently has two new bottlings, a 16 year old sugarcane based rum and a 16 year old molasses based rum.

Founded in 1845 by French explorers Louis and Charles Isautier, Maison Isautier is located in Saint-Pierre and is the oldest distillery on Reunion Island. The island sits to the east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. Reunion Island is known for its volcanic landscapes which result in mineral rich fertile soil. The sugar cane grown here develops a unique terroir and has been grown on the island for centuries. 

Maison Isautier produces both rhum agricole from fresh cane juice and traditional rum from molasses produced from the island’s sugar cane. The distillery has produced spirits for this particular region for six generations. This remains a family run distillery with Cyril Isautier now, in charge of the operation.

Isautier Sugarcane Rum 16 yr

LM&V and Maison Isautier have together bottled a duo of 16 year old rums from the cellars of Isautier. The first rum in the series is a sugarcane based rum similar to that of an agricole. It was made from freshly pressed juice and distilled in a two column still. The Sugarcane rum was barreled in 2006 and aged for 16 years in the tropical conditions of La Reunion. The rum was bottled at 59% ABV in 2022 with no additives or colorings.

Isautier Traditional Rum 16 yr

The second rum for the Isautier and LM&V collaboration is the Traditional rum which is made from molasses. The molasses was produced from local cane and also distilled on a two column still. Much like the Sugarcane rum the Traditional was also barreled in 2006 and bottled in 2022 but with a 57% ABV. The Traditional is unadulterated molasses rum from a unique area of the world.  

These rums are now available in the US in markets where you can find LM&V offerings. Though these rums may be somewhat difficult to find, they appear to be worth the effort to seek out. These two expressions are extremely unique to the world of rum and offer a taste of a distinctive terroir.  

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