Vanûa Rum

Vanûa Rum 

Recently while walking the aisles of my local Total Wine I came across this rum from Fiji. Vanua rum is a blend of rums aged three to five years distilled from hand harvested fresh sugar cane juice.

In my research, I discovered very little about the product that could not already be found on the label. One of my favorite bits found on the back label was that the Fijian world “Vanua” means “the land one is identified with”.

Sugarcane production and harvesting is a big part of the Fijian economy, as part is used for sugar production and the rest for ethanol production. Even with this two-pronged approach, the sugarcane industry on the island is struggling as trade partners in Europe and India continue to undercut the value of sugar as a global commodity.

Appearance

The tall 750 mL bottle holds a straw colored liquid. The neck and base of the bottle is wrapped in twine while the top of the bottle is secured by a wooden cap, holding a synthetic cork.

Swirling the liquid created a thin line that slowly thickened, pebbled and very slowly dropped tear drop shaped legs.

Nose

The aroma of the rum delivers light notes of vanilla and raw coconut, with a robust pineapple rounding it out.

Palate

Sipping the rum delivered a nice bite of vanilla-laden alcohol with a swirl of honeyed pineapple, coconut meat and mangos with a twist of oak tannins manifesting as baking spice, charcoal and nutmeg.

Review

The immaturity of the rum along with the floral vanilla and fruit flavor profile lends this rum to be used in cocktails. With the coconut and pineapple notes, a Piña Colada is an easy choice, but in the Tiki spectrum the rum is enjoyable in a Pi Yi cocktail or Tahitian Rum punch.

If you are curious about this Fijian rum, roll the dice and enjoy the exploration. I did not have much in the way of expectations either way and found myself happy that I picked it up.

-Rum Review by Paul Senft- 

My name is Paul Senft - Rum Reviewer, Tasting host, Judge and Writer. My exploration of Rums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. I quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and United States visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. I have also had the pleasure of learning from bar tenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of rum. The desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where I share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that I would inspire others in their own explorations. It is my wish in the pages of “Got Rum?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. Hopefully my tasting notes will inspire you to tr y the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others.