Takamaka Redeemed?: Habitation Velier 2020 and 2018 3yo Seychelles Pure Single Rums

The last time you saw Takamaka Distillery (aka Trois Frere's Distillery of Pointe Au Sel in the Seychelles) on this channel, it was their 69 Overproof. Which... isn't good. I reviewed it twice, actually (at • Cane Juice World Tour,... and then again at • Blind Tasting/Review F... while blind), and despite something like a 50-point swing I didn't like it either time. But that Takamaka, of course, was mostly highly refined rocket fuel... which makes you wonder what their old Hoga hybrid pot stills could do on their own, without the column component.
Enter the Habitation Velier folks, who recently got ahold of two different batches of that very distillate So let's see what Takamaka can do unplugged, popped and poured and reviewed with no notes:
- Takamaka Seychelles Pure Single Rum 2020 (from Trois Frere's Distillery, La Plaine St. Andre, Au Cap Mahe, Seychelles, bottled by Habitation Velier; pot distilled sugarcane, bottled 2020; 56% ABV), 84/100
- Takamaka Seychelles 3 Year Old Pure Single Rum 2018 (from Trois Frere's Distillery, La Plaine St. Andre, Au Cap Mahe, Seychelles, bottled by Habitation Velier; pot distilled, aged at the distillery in French oak, bottled 2021; 60.8% ABV), 85/100
Both very solid, and in a rare turn of events I like the young aged rum more than the unaged version of the same (it's got a little bit of a Uruapan Añejo vibe, see • My Shopping Bag 3: Yok... ). Plus there really is some unique and nifty "Indian Ocean" terroir showing through. I'm a bit surprised by how charmed I am by these, and I'd love to see more of them.
The sad part? The little Hoga stills have since been retired, so these will be the only releases of their kind...
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
Eric Amig
Kingsbury bushcraft
Rob D
Steve Frazee
John Halliday
Jason Newquist
No Thanks
Matthew Ruiz
RumSquirrel
Sachin
Dallas Shatel
Chris Sherman
Gordon W
Zach W

[@jonscr6499]

Safe travels!

[@differentspirits4157]

Thanks! 😁

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[@Budge3000]

Be careful bro

[@differentspirits4157]

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