Savanna RumX Co-Bottling Grand Arôme 2025

An absolute top-notch bottle from Savanna. Cask #991 + Armagnac finish. Big aroma funk (strawberry/pineapple/mint & cinnamon = Wick Menthol + Big Red gum + Campino candies) is definitely present, but complemented by a truly mature, solid dose of elegance and power that also delivers an almost endless finish. For example, a 2009 Savanna HERR Blanc Paris shows a noticeably shorter finish and much less complexity in direct comparison. When it comes to Savanna Grand Arôme, a new benchmark has definitely been set here. Cheers to Oli and the community!❣️

#5741 27.09.2025 Day one of the Whisky Live 2025, which this year looks better organized/arranged inside. This is a great Savanna and I really look forward to the release in 2026. The balance is great and the wood and ABV is very well integrated. Fruits and mint go well in hand with the floral and spice notes.

A rum tasted at Whisky Live Paris in 2025. A very nice nose, more oaky than usual for Savanna, but still very reasonable and I don't mind it. The palate is very beautiful, lively, and complex. The finish is long and balanced. A rather dark and oaky profile but very expressive (the effect of the Grand Arôme) and above all balanced with a nice freshness. A very nice release, well done!

Dark and very spicy it comes across... Tropical fruits, dried fruits, strong cask influence, light esters. Very nice mouthfeel. I like it exceptionally well, very mature with high complexity.

It's always complicated to give a 100, so I give less just to say something. But in the end, this is the type of Savanna I love: fruity, oaky. Very well-balanced. It's really a great pleasure and my best test at WL 2025.

À coup sûr une des plus belles nouveautés du Whisky Live 2025, cette collaboration entre RumX et Savanna délivre toutes ses promesses. Le nez est puissant, porté par les fruits très mûrs (fraise, ananas) et la fraîcheur florale et mentholée. Une empreinte boisée, rôtie, vanillée, mais aussi des esters et des olives, se distinguent également aux narines. Les arômes sont harmonieux, l’ensemble est structuré et onctueux, combo gagnant. On assiste à un véritable spectacle aromatique en bouche. Le côté rôti, épicé et boisé prend un peu plus de place et complète parfaitement ce profil exubérant. Le rhum est souple, très rond et fait preuve d’une grande complexité. On perçoit beaucoup de notes florales, des olives, des esters et du cognac, ces deux derniers asséchant légèrement le palais. Mais ce sont les fruits qui font le show : fraise, framboise, ananas, fruits secs et agrumes offrent un véritable jus de fruits exotiques mûrs et terriblement gouleyant. L’alcool se fond parfaitement au profil. La finale est superbe et d’une grande longueur. Les fruits rouges et exotiques restent longtemps imprégner le palais de leurs arômes, tout comme l’olive, le menthol et le vernis. Le bois et les épices sont plus discrets mais ajoute ce brin d’élégance qui permet de finir en beauté ce profil hyper savoureux, intense et pourtant remarquablement équilibré. À n’en pas douter un must pour Savanna et une mise en bouteille de qualité qui exprime parfaitement l’esprit de RumX (avec un très joli label au passage).

Die Zeit im Fass hat diesem Grand Arome richtig gut getan. Neben den klassischen Markern wirkt er sowohl dunkel mit diversen Gewürzen und Holz als auch floral/ frisch - zwei Gegensätze die sich perfekt ergänzen. Alkohol erstklassig eingebunden und bringt dir Erdbeere sowie Olive perfekt zur Geltung!

After two extended tastings (RumX masterclass, Whisky Live), here is my verdict on what is shaping up to be THE bottling of 2026. The aromas quickly fill the room; this Grand Arôme spent 17 years in the tropics and hasn’t lost any of its brilliance, quite the opposite. Between dark fruits, varnished wood reminiscent of 30-year-old armagnacs and beyond, notes of mango, slightly esterified strawberry, candied oranges... you don’t know where to focus. But this particularly fruity profile also hides a darker side. The olive is discreet, but salty, spicy notes and a slightly ashy empyreumatic profile appear after about half an hour of airing. Like the finest GAs and the best that armagnac can offer, the stage is set. On the palate, the smooth mango, strawberries, and cherry stems stand out first through an oily veil. Very quickly, the fruity and harlequin candy notes are shaken up by tannins, varnished wood, fresh herbal notes, a hint of black tea, and green coffee. The finish seems never-ending and continues to evolve throughout the tasting. Sometimes fruity, minty, sometimes woody, slightly bitter, varnished, or more roasted, coffee, and lightly spiced. The chew remains, like a small fresh fruity lozenge adorned with a slight licorice touch. A grandiose rum that never ceases to surprise me and can be enjoyed again and again. No flaws, no alcohol burn, just pure pleasure in its raw state. If I weren’t such a fan of Savanna and RumX, I’d give it a 9.9, but you’ll say I’m exaggerating again ;)

Heute mal 3 Savannas im Glas um die neue RumX Abfüllung einordnen zu können. Angetreten sind die Abfüllung von Rob, der Virtues, der Savanna Thunderstruck, sowie eben der RumX #991. Danke nochmal an Oliver für das vorab Sample. Als Resümee für mich hat der RumX die beste Nase. Auch geschmacklich hat er für mich den ersten Platz. 17 Jahre tropische Reifung eines Savannas kann man einfach nicht toppen. Der Thunderstruck Grand Arome kann da nicht mithalten. Der Virtues von Rob hat bei mir den zweiten Platz gesichert.

Štěstí tomu přálo a dostal jsem se k této lahvi velmi brzy. 17 let v tropech trochu obrousilo Grand Arome vůni, takže není příliš výrazná. Chuť je velmi komplexní, dřevitější, cítím bompary, jahody, sušené ovoce. Vyšší alkohol je poznat, není to ale prázdná alkoholovost, ale opravdu sil ý balancovaný zážitek. Pokid nečekáš esterovou GA bombu, tak tohle ti bude opravdu chutnat.

At 3pm, Rob Bauer (RumX) arrives accompanied by Sam Pritchard, mystery bottle in hand: a RumX co-bottling of Savanna's oldest great aroma! On tasting, there's fruit, mint and pretty floral notes, but spice and wood soon take over. A darker profile than usual for Savanna, with which I found it a little harder to connect. It's said to come from cask 991! The same as for The Wild Island bottlings (Grand Étang Sec and Piton des Neiges). Could this barrel be gigantic? Or is it a finish in cask 991? A mystery... Answer in 2026!

This is perfect, absolutely perfect. Its so wellrounded, with everything you expect from a Grand arome. Dialed up to 11. It's the best savanna, i've ever tasted