With the advent or more advanced laboratory techniques, it’s possible to measure the concentration of other volatile elements in addition to Ethyl Acetate, such as higher alcohols like propan-1-ol, butan-1-ol and butan-2-ol. This provides a more comprehensive reading of how much flavor adding components are within the rum. If you really want to geek out on exactly what these are, read this, although it’s far from light reading. Fun fact: The Martinique AOC actually specifies minimal volatile element levels. Echoing the “no dosage” message is Martin Cate, who’s measured the actual ABV with his fancy Anton Parr hydrometer. His measured ABV is effectively identical to the labeled ABV, which is generally taken to mean that there’s essentially no sugar present, assuming the label ABV is accurate. As is expected of Plantation rums this is presented beautifully. It has been given a more distinctive appearance than the standard island bottlings from the normal Plantation range. Unlike most Plantation rums there is no added sugar. Plantation OFTD Artisanal Rum je rum vytvorený samotným Alexandrom Gabrielom, zakladateľom a vlastníkom značky Ferrand Cognac , Plantation Rum a Citadelle Gin.

Honestly I'm not really into overproof rums. I've tried several and most of them are like extremely potent hot sauces (something else of which I am a connoisseur)...all burn and little to no flavor. The rum seems to be a replcacement for the brands older Original Dark Overproof rum. This means that both the Overproof and standard proof Original Dark rum have been given an overhaul. Both rums were originally made up of rum from Trinidad. I personally didn’t care much for either and went as far as suggesting the standard Original Dark was no better than supermarket rum such as Tesco’s Dark Rum – which is also a Trinidad “blend”. As a result neither rum scored particularly highly. Plantation O.F.T.D is another trip into history from the French producers. Following on from the Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple rum, O.F.T.D. which stands for Old Fashioned Traditional Dark is another attempt at recapturing the rum glories of old. Whether you enjoy sipping on an overproof rum, dilute it with water or another rum, this is definitely worth trying.

One of the few Plantation rums with an age statement on the label, this might be considered the flagship of Plantation’s “signature blends” lineup, and is one of the brands they’ve been offering longest. The five year age statement is nice, if not particularly impressive—it makes this a “moderately aged” rum. It’s important to note that 3-4 years of that time is tropical aging in Barbados, and the remaining 1-2 years is aging in France in “Ferrand casks” previously used to mature cognac. That’s a significant period, which makes this ultimately a product substantially different than simply a Bajan rum—there’s also the moderate dosage to consider as well. Products like this are at the heart of the dispute between Maison Ferrand and the other Barbados distilleries. Overproof spirits are undoubtedly hot, and Plantation O.F.T.D Rum is no exception. You would be advised to keep this away from your nose and avoid holding it for too long on your tongue on diluted – lest you enjoy the burning sensation. However, if you’re careful you can find a rather beautiful rum hiding behind the heat. This is a dark rum. Deep, deep toffee amber. Nothing light about this. Of course the O.F.T.D. stands for "old fashioned traditional dark". Definitely a dark rum. No doubt about it. Before getting to the exactly what type of rums are in O.F.T.D. (finally!), a few notes of explanation on what follows: Low ester levels in Jamaican rum, from say 0 to 50 g/hL AA, are associated with lightly flavored rums. For comparison’s sake, the ester levels of most vodkas are close to 0 g/hL AA. Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, well known for its funkiness, has an ester level of around 200 g/hL AA. Rum Fire Overproof from Hampden Estate is around 500 g/hL AA. The maximum ester count that Jamaican law allows for export is 1600 g/hL AA. From firsthand experience, rums at that ester level are essentially undrinkable after a few sips.

Cukrová trstina sa zberá ručne alebo strojom a potom sa, čo najskôr rozreže, rozdrví, aby sa minimalizovala degradácia cukrov obsiahnutých v trstine. Po rozomletí trstiny sa šťava extrahuje a pripravuje na kvasenie, výsledkom procesu premeny cukru na alkohol je vzniknutý kvas. Tento kvas sa následne niekoľkokrát zahrieva, aby sa extrahoval rovnaký podiel cukru a melasy pre tradičný rum. Fermentácia I really like the O.F.T.D. in rum and cola’s. It is similar in many ways to Pusser’s. It’s quite sweet but at the same time has quite a lot of “oommph” to it. Which I think is what you want in a rum and cola – especially on a cold night. Plantation O.F.T.D will be used predominantly in the Tiki Culture and it will top things such as Zombies and be used in Mai Tai’s etc. It is a big rich rum which is meant to be drank in small quantities. Adding a little muscle to tropical drinks. I am confident that this will take some beating in such combinations. Nose: Coffee and orange – dark spice blend can’t tell if it’s cinnamon, all-spice, cloves – Not quite molasses but a darkened caramel. A candied pecan nuttiness, but not sweet.Rum from Fiji has been all the rage among the rum geeks in the last few years, so it’s no surprise that Maison Ferrand wanted a piece of that action, if the category were to continue catching on. This is a pretty standard Fijian rum, a blend of pot and column still rums aged tropically for 2-3 years in bourbon casks before the usual 1 year of finishing in Ferrand casks in France. It’s lightly estery, with a moderate level of dosage. When first poured the rum smells unsurprisingly heavily of alcohol. There are definite fumes when you pour. However, it is advised to allow the rich mahogany coloured rum to settle in the glass a few minutes before nosing.

O.F.T.D. Rum is Plantations take on the classic style of overproof rums. Alexandre Gabriel scoured rum joints around the world to find six grizzled old salts who knew which end of a rum bottle was which. Alexandre Gabriel : “At Maison Ferrand, I often feel that we are a team of misfits having fun. With the O.F.T.D. band of rum geeks, I felt at home. I will never forget the special moments we had creating this rum: the secret meeting at Arnaud’s, the week in Cognac, the many samples tasted and the discussions about the true nature of overproof rum spoken with the same gravitas and intensity of statesmen discussing peace treaties. And all the time we were having a ball! These special moments of communion with a talented and passionate team are the reason I love my job. It is interesting that Plantation have dropped the Trinidad rum entirely from the blend. Personally this is a good thing as I don’t really rate the modern Trini rums at all.Ein handwerklich perfekt gemachter Rum, ist bei diesem "Blender Team" auch nicht anders zu erwarten.

For Christmas last year, I got Ann Marie a copy of Smuggler’s Cove’s book and our rum collection hasn’t been the same since. The book is a fantastic overview of tiki, talking through the history, providing recipes, and more importantly a list of rums to make the recipes. The list of rums is broken down into categories, typically referring to the base material used (molasses or sugar cane), the form of distillation (column or pot still), and the age (lightly aged, moderately aged, long aged, etc). In addition to these categories, there’s also recommended overproof rums – including Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum On Its OwnThe label tasting notes say: “It bursts with caramel cream, chocolate, and vanilla notes. It continues on with cinnamon, raisins, nutmeg, oak, and molasses with smoky accents.”