On the Cabangu plantation in Minas Gerais the sugar cane stood tall while a boy looked up at the sky and thought about flying.
Alberto Santos Dumont ended up a pioneer in the air. Down on the ground, the sugar cane became something else entirely: a spirit that is allowed to take its time.
Expert description
Santos Dumont XO Brazil Spirit Drink is a Brazilian Rum-Based Spirit Drink aged in Bourbon casks, Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks and Port casks and bottled at 40%.
The base is Brazilian sugar cane, distilled on a copper pot still. The young distillate is then split across three cask types, each pulling the flavour in its own direction. The Bourbon cask gives vanilla and a dry peppery edge. The Pedro Ximénez Sherry cask lays down ripe fruit, honey and old oak. The Port cask rounds it all off with sweetness and a soft, wine-like character.
Finally, the master blender blends the three parts together, and the blend gets a final rest in a single hand-picked cask. It is that step which gives the bottle its own character rather than a uniform factory profile.
Note that it may not be called rum. It is classified as a Spirit Drink, and that is not a mistake or a shortcut, but a matter of regulation. As soon as anything is added, or the distillate does not meet the formal requirements for rum, the product falls into the Spirit Drink category. Many of the softest and most sweet-toned bottles on the shelf belong here.
The brand is owned by Old St. Croix Spirits, formerly A.H. Riise Spirits, based in Dragør. The name is a tribute to Alberto Santos Dumont, whose father ran the coffee and sugar cane plantation Cabangu in Minas Gerais.
Tasting Notes
Nose
Banana and coconut first, then ripe apricot and apricot kernel. Vanilla and a touch of honey hide underneath.
Palate
Soft tannins, distinct honey and a fruit sweetness that leans towards fermented fruit and dried figs. The port cask shows as a wine-like, almost syrupy roundness, while a hint of black pepper keeps the sweetness from running away.
Finish
Long and sweet with toffee and dark chocolate. Right at the end comes a dry oak note that tidies everything up.
Specifications
Name: Santos Dumont XO Brazil Spirit Drink
Distillery: Santos Dumont
Region/Country: Brazil
Type: Brazilian Rum-Based Spirit Drink
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Cask type: Bourbon casks, Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks and Port casks
Distillation method: Copper Pot Still
Edition: XO
EAN no.: 5712421040002
Serving suggestion: Neat or over a single ice cube at 18-20 degrees
Flavour Profile
Sweet · Fruity · Sherry-matured · Port cask · Soft
Did You Know?
Alberto Santos Dumont asked Louis Cartier for a watch he could wear on his wrist while flying, because he could not fish his pocket watch out mid-air. That was the start of the wristwatch as we know it today.
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