Drink of the month: sugarcane spirits

Rum is increasingly popular but there are other sugarcane spirits worth exploring. Here’s everything you need to know.

Rhum agricole

When sugar cane juice is turned into sugar, a dark, gooey, sugary substance called molasses is produced as a by-product.

A lot of rum is made by fermenting and distilling this into a spirit. Rhum agricole, however, is made using the raw sugar cane juice. Originating from the French Caribbean islands, the resulting spirit carries a lot of the flavours of the sugar cane, with a grassy, funky character.

Try it: Damoiseau Rhum Gold (£34.74/70cl, amazon.co.uk). Aged in oak barrels for 18 months, this rhum agricole from Guadeloupe has delicate woody and spicy notes.

Cachaça

Brazil’s national spirit, cachaça is also made from fresh sugar cane juice but is treated as a separate spirit to rum. Popular in its home country, it’s one of the most widely produced spirits in the world. Try it in a caipirinha.

Try it: Yaguara Organic Cachaça (£33.95/ 70cl, The Whisky Exchange). An organic cachaça that’s herbaceous and aromatic.

Clairin

Made in Haiti from predominantly small rural distillers, clairin is made from raw sugar cane juice. It’s usually rustic and characterful in nature.

Try it: Saint Benevolence Rum Clairin (£43/70cl, theumbrella project.co.uk). Earthy and peppery with wasabilike notes, sales from each bottle directly fund charitable works helping people and communities in Haiti, from medical services to education.

There are many other sugarcane spirits to explore, including aguardiente (an umbrella term for other cane spirits in South America) and arrack from Southeast Asia and India.