Pink Pigeon rum has actually been around for some 18 months but in truth it hasn’t exactly been making waves. Which is a shame because it’s actually pretty tasty thanks to top quality vanilla, a zingy little citrus edge and orchid petals chipping in with some subtle floral notes. But now the people behind it, the legendary Berry Bros. & Rudd have given it little bit of extra love – tweaking the bottle ever so slightly, bringing in a new marketing team to get it out there and very shrewdly inviting the talented Mr Chetiyawardana to take flight with the Pink Pigeon.

Pink Pigeon Rum is named after the iconic and endangered Pink Pigeon, which is indigenous to the island of Mauritius and carefully protected (the Medine Estate donates a portion of the proceeds from each bottle of rum to the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation). The rum is crafted from molasses produced exclusively from Medine estate-grown sugarcane. Once the molasses has been harvested, it is fermented and then distilled through a four-column, continuous still. Following distillation, the rum is infused with three different ingredients: Bourbon vanilla, orange peel and orchid petals. Located the south of the island of Mauritius, a few kilometres north of Souillac, the estate of St. Aubin has been cultivating sugar cane since 1819. The distillery located on the estate itself was named after its former owner Mr. Pierre de Saint Aubin. It is known for creating the first sugarcane-based rum on the island.

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Mauritius was home to the Dodo bird and is still home to a number of endangered species such as the Pink Pigeon after which this rum is named. Made as a single estate rum from a molasses base from sugar cane grown in volcanic soil by the Medine Distillery (founded 1926 and oldest operating distillery in the country) and spiced with Madagascar and Reunion Islands BourbonVanilla (which grows as orchids on both islands – and in the case of Reunion grows in heavily volcanic soil), orange zest from Reunion Island, orchid petals (giving it a gentian and white flowers taste) each ingredient is individually macerated in their rum then blended giving them a much more finer grained control over flavor than throwing them all together and hoping. Dry shake, shake with cubed ice, double strain into a chilled flute glass (coated with a crusted spray of vanilla and salt solution).

As a result, Pink Pigeon Rum has a rich, golden color, along with an aroma of sweet vanilla, delicate spices and cloves. The aroma gives way to notes of soft citrus, vanilla, caramel and whipped cream, and leads to a smooth, semi-sweet finish. "Pink Pigeon Rum is the embodiment of all that is good from our tropical paradise," says Chatel.

Pigeon Aperitivo

A damn sight better than most spiced rums ( which I usually loathe). As a spiced rum I can recommend it. In 1991 only about 10 pink pigeons remained in the wild. Due to a very successful species recovery programme the population had risen to nearly 500 individuals in 2014. Pink pigeons are still dependent upon intensive management for their survival. Management measures still undertaken include supplementary feeding, the provision of nest boxes and the management of introduced predators such as rats.