Aroma visualization from community tastings
Excellence Rhum Savanna Collection Privée 2008
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Coming to this expecting bright Savanna fruit? It leans darker and spicier than usual. The ex-cognac cask pushes it toward baked apple, dark chocolate, roasted nuts and warm allspice, with a little smoke and camphor. Several tasters found the 63% remarkably well integrated for the strength. Fans of fruity Savanna may miss some of that lift, but there's real depth here.
The community says- Well-integrated 63%
- Rich cognac-cask depth
- But: Less fruity than expected
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The look inside the bottle
How does Excellence Rhum Savanna Collection Privée 2008 taste?
Summarized by AI from 41 community reviews.
Spicy, woody aged Savanna with cognac depth A well-liked aged Savanna on the spicy, woody, chocolatey side. Most rate it highly and praise how the 63% sits; a few miss the brighter fruit and note the finish can turn dry.
Aroma profileSavanna fans who like the darker, spicy, cask-influenced side
Anyone chasing bright, fruity Savanna or a soft, low-strength sipper
Style & occasion: Mature & oakySipping neat
Full aroma profile Aroma families · nose & palate · top aromas
27 of 41 left detailed tasting impressions · Click an aroma to explore similar rums
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Community voices
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41 community reviews
27 selected write-ups on this page, all of them in the RumX app
Top 16% of Reunion rumsTop 24% at Savanna
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Ranges include their upper bound: “7–8” means above 7 up to and including 8. See the full rating guide
Positive from 8.0 · Mixed 6.0–7.9 · Critical below 6.0
Review by TheJackDrop
Most helpful positive review
Édit 2 : esters et fraise au nez qui ressortent encore plus avec l’oxydation. EDIT 1 : après achat de la bouteille et à la première ouverture : intensité folle au nez comme en bouche, gros sucre brûlé / cassonade, beau bois, gros chocolat également, et des épices bien dosés. Reste une pointe d’alcool peut être un un léger manque de fruits pour passer les 9, mais j’adore. C’est tellement lourd ! Dégusté au Rhum Fest Paris, notes à compléter. Pré-commandé instantannément à mon retour du Festival. Les notes "classiques" d'un savanna, sublimées sur 15 ans, plus complexe, plus lourd, un peu fumé, épices de cuisine... j'ai adoré ! Hate de re-tester à la maison ;)
Review by Vincent D
Most helpful mixed review
Tasted at the very end of the day with a palate more frankly at its best. I want to test it again because it seemed very strong and alcoholic to me. Yet, the nose hinted at a somewhat dark Savanna but more gourmand than I finally perceived.
Review by Tschusikowsky
This rum has a powerful and complex bouquet. Roasted notes, dark berries, milk, cream and a hint of caramel flan unfold on the nose and palate. There are also aromas of dark red fruits, tobacco, wet wood, vanilla and tropical ripeness. The finish is warm, with a fine acidity of apple and peach. The rum opens up even more with a little water. Overall, a special and very successful profile.
Review by TheJona'Spirits
Tasted at the Rhum Fest Paris 2025 innovations counter. 👃 Fresh apple on the first nose, then baked into a cake, it's pastry, vanilla, slightly buttery. Lovely soft caramel, some minty freshness. Alcohol not very noticeable despite the 63%. 😋 Gourmet, rich and sufficiently intense. Dried and candied fruit cake (Port cask?), sweet spices, a little coconut and walnut roastiness. Fresher, fruitier finish, a lychee & grapefruit basket comes to mind. ⛳ Quite long, on the notes of the nose in retro-olfaction, still on fruity freshness with a touch of camphor. In comparison with UC 22-23-24, it seems to me a notch above, somewhat similar to UC Belgique 2024 "Mérou", only better. Perhaps even at the level of a Maputo, to be verified. PS: More in-depth note to follow as soon as it's released in June 2025.
Review by Kevin Sorensen 🇩🇰
#5819 03.10.2025 Enjoying a few samples after work while listening to some heavy Psy Trance. Nose Medium intense, woody, light roasted, fruity, light cherry, citrus, light mint, light caramel. Palate Warm, medium intense, woody, light marzipan, fruity, light floral, light mint, faint grass, light caramel. Finish Long and warm, wood, light roasted, light dry, light mint, fruits. Empty glass Light marzipan, citrus, light caramel, faint smoke.
Review by Thunderbird
Ein Savanna, der eindeutig auf der würzigen kräftigen Seite beheimatet ist. Von der Nase bis zum Abgang sind für mich würzig nussige Aromen erkennbar. Etwas Rauch und Karamell sind ebenfalls erkennbar. Ein Komplexitätswunder ist er nicht, aber gefällig.
Review by LukaŽiga
8,5:On the nose, minty molasses, charred wood notes with butterscotch, dark chocolate, nuts, smoky, spicy with allspice, burnt rubber, apricots, green apple and cherries, bump into our nosetrils. On aeration, some confectionery arises, baked apple, vanilla and hints of Maggi, strawberry, flowery molasses and candies, very round.... 8,4:On the palate, the attack is quite heavy with roasted oak notes, surprusingly with really roasted coffee, smoky, also candied caramel, bbq, nuts, baked apple, spicy with allspice, fruity with grapefruit, red and dried fruits, some coconut, ripe banana, perhaps candied fruits, medicinal with burnt rubber, camphor, as the molasses is vegetal with briny olive, perfumed, grassy, herbaceous, when well aired, musty and with hints of peat. 8,2:The finish is medium long, warm, less fruity, dry and tannic, rather dull with toasted/roasted oak, smoky, nutty, spicy with allspice, the rubber is burnt and the molasses grassy, vegetal with briny olive, some camphor hints present. Edit:3.4.26
Review by crazyforgoodbooze
Super exciting "old" Savanna. The nose reveals green apple, mint, cherry and hazelnuts. On the palate, bitter-sweet grapefruit including peel, cocoa and allspice, light BBQ flavors, some coconut and camphor. The finish is reminiscent of strong specialty coffee with more floral notes and a pleasant bitterness. The tropical maturation in a cognac barrel brings out intense tannins and roasted aromas. Great bottling!
Review by Timo Groeger
Last one for today, going to watch all the darts now :) Unobtrusive nose, we have mint, cherry, and a bit of dark chocolate. On the palate, more vegetal and fresh. Definitely a solid Savanna, but they can definitely do better ;)
Review by Julien Ries
Voilà un Savanna que j'aime. Le nez nous accueille avec beaucoup de fruité pâtissier. De la pomme au four, du gâteau tutti frutti, un peu de boisé, un peu de menthol. Tout est très harmonieux et très bien équilibré. La bouche est douce avec un alcool bien intégré. Là encore beaucoup de fruité, avec une douce chaleur d'épices et un soupçon de camphre. La finale est longue et réconfortante. Un rhum gourmand qui pourrait être piégeux à vouloir en reprendre, tellement il est bon.
Review by DutchRumPirate
Delicious Savanna, I just miss the real fruity notes of Savanna a bit. It is more powerful in the sense of spices, nutty, and a little smoky. The finish is long, and more apple and caramel come through in it. A high-quality rum. But I prefer fruitier versions of Savanna.
Review by Jarek
small, private Savanna Coss tasting 2025-07-10: I like it much better than the RX23891. You can also tell that the rum has matured. It is more on the spicy side, less fruit, nutty and, as expected, more wood.
Review by Jussi Piirainen
On the nose: At first all i got on the nose was port and i had to check in which cask this was aged, its aged 15 years in ex-cognac casks. After few minutes in the glass it opens up. Got those lovely apple notes and spices. Wood on the background. Not so heavy on those nose. Taste: Quite strong upfront and somewhat heavy bodied. The alcohol could have been integrated just a little bit better. Baking notes. Quite fruity. Hints of green apples and apricot. Finish: Quite short and finishes dry in the mouthfeel.. Smoky, toasted woody notes. Lots of familiar notes that i like and i associate with aged Savanna rums. The finish could have been better.
Review by Djehey
Reminiscent of Martinique. Probably because of the barrel.
Review by Rum man
Rhum Fest Paris 2025 Really excellent. Many layers that reveal themselves along the way. The cognac barrel brings out a lot of fruity accents. Could be a bit less spicy to round things off. Has something very moreish though. Another Savanna that does well.
Review by Filip Šikula
Tasting calendar of Pavel Špaček no. 5 2025
Review by ThreeH
This rum has a completely different profile than the RX378 tasted in parallel and comes with a very dark appearance. The color fits 15y in barrel, a beautiful dark, clear and radiant amber/Oloroso sherry. The nose impression - especially compared to the parallel tasted HERR Savanna - rather reserved. Dark aromatics, burnt sugar, spiciness and a hint of mint. On the palate then powerful, roastiness, wood, spice, caramel. Well integrated ABV. Ends long on the palate aromas with a pleasant slight bitterness at the end. Especially brings a lot of joy through the delicious/spicy palate impression. Overall quite a dark Savanna variant.
Review by Fuwi
Very powerful Savanna, which first smells of grassy notes and then opens up more and more, developing fruity and chocolaty. After a while a buttery note comes in, it smells a bit like butter speculoos with flowers, I can't quite figure it out. Taste-wise way up there, strong aromatic notes of wood and spices, pleasant influence of the Cognac, in the back a bit lacking power, even though it really lasts long.
Review by Maxime Clr 🇫🇷
Very good Savanna!
Review by Thomas Renoud
Nose is rich but I have a hard time describing it. Very cognac for sure. Mouth, I wrote tapenade not do.much the taste but the mouthfeel reminds me this
Review by Adrianv
Fresh Savanna with strong fruit presence, herbal, spicy and little roasted notes, bit bitter and dry, alcohol could be better integrated, overall nice profile
Review by Michal S
Decent Savanna, in the nose candied fruit, spices, sweets, in the taste rather dried fruit and nuts. No extreme hit, but worth trying/sample.
Review by Rhum Mirror 🇧🇪
Last little double tasting of Savanna here with my buddy Selvam Carlier: Savanna 2008 Excellence Rhum - 63% An old Savanna super exciting. The nose reveals beautiful aromas of apple, mint, and cherry. This nose is super fresh and captivating. On the palate, we find a profile a bit heavier than the nose and bitter with cocoa and chili, slight camphor aromas. At the end of the palate, coffee and a pleasant bitterness appear. Superb bottling with a beautiful balance and perfect integration of the 63%. I wouldn’t have minded having a bottle in the cellar 🥹 Savanna The Duchess 2003 - 67.2% Only 4% difference but the feeling is quite different. It’s frankly less balanced. It’s ultra concentrated. We find wood and chili. It’s heavy but unfortunately sharp. The finish is long but unfortunately too sharp and astringent. It’s too alcoholic unfortunately. The profile either pleases or doesn’t. I’ve chosen my side...
Review by Roman Lelek
It’s my first Savana ever or at least this year, don’t have sample yet. The color - usual - but darker- brown to red. The nose - fruits - red apples, woody, spicy tones. The taste- minty, menthol, reminds me Trinidad, but different. I feel intense warmth of alcohol, the dried fruits, caramel. Long dry aftertaste…with wooden tones..
Review by Happy Oner
Best Savanna I've had so far, lots of wood, chocolate, caramel, honey (Guyana profile)
Review by Vidaa Wz
The nose is initially quite shy on the cask, vanilla, also strawberry. After airing, you notice notes of milk chocolate and roasted spices. On the palate, the alcohol is very lively; it's roasted on herbal effluves of wet tobacco. I would have preferred a better integration of the alcohol.
Review by Pavel Spacek
Bottle in CZ community advent calendar 2025.
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Expert reviews
Reviews from RumX's blog partners, independent experts who have tasted, evaluated, and described this rum.
Expert review by L'amateur éclairé
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Community shelf
51 bottles logged by 42 collectors.
A collector's bottle.
9% opened, 2 emptied.
What did the community pay for Excellence Rhum Savanna Collection Privée 2008?
Community paid 157–160 €.
Purchase prices reported by members, not a shop price. Avg. 159 €. Full price & collection history in RX+ →
51 purchased · 44 tasted · 23 wishlist · as of
Details about Excellence Rhum Savanna Collection Privée 2008
A rum from Reunion, bottled by Excellence Rhum, at 63%.
About the Savanna distillery
The Savanna distillery is located in Reunion. Rums from Savanna have been reviewed 8,549 times with an average of 8.3/10.
To Savanna →Read on in the RumX Guide
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