I have a few issues with this rum. Firstly it is quite often listed as being 20 years old. Now admittedly Plantation do not say this but it doesn’t stop online stores advertising it as 20 years old. Or people saying it is 20 years old. The 20 is there though on the front label, yes it’s smaller perhaps than years gone by but it’s still there. It’s deceiving and I think it is quite deliberate. I do not think Alexandre Gabriel is a fool so I’m pretty sure he knows how a 20 on the front of a bottle works. This is not my own personal opinion as I have spoken with a great number of people about Plantation. A lot of people completely boycott their products do to having sweetened rum from then in the past. Vďaka tomuto dlhodobému procesu získa Plantation 20th svoje jedinečné vlastnosti, ktoré dokážu oceniť úplní začiatočníci, ako aj pokročilí rumoví vychutnávači. Ak spoznávate svet rumu, Plantation XO 20th Anniversary je povinnosť ochutnať. Pomer ceny a kvality je jeden z najlepších na trhu. Extra Old Plantation Barbados (ve verzi 20th Anniversary) je „k mání“ i v každém větším obchodě, dokonce nezřídka i v akci. Takže pokud vám padne v supermarketu při nákupech do oka, klidně si jej přiložte do košíku. It is presented in a squat Scotch-style bottle with a bright and colourful label depicting tropical flowers, birds, and lizards and boldly marked “Isle of Fiji.” On The Nose

What is a GI? According to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 1995 Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), GI’s are defined as “indications which identify a good as originating in the territory of a Member, or a region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographic origin.” For example, both Scotch and Bourbon have GIs.Always the alchemist, Plantation has created a “dark” rum by blending their 10-15 year aged Jamaican rum together with 1-3 year aged Barbadian twin column and pot still rum. Co se týče vizuálu, tak ten ozvláštňují vlákna třtiny či spíše nějaká forma lýka, nechybí zlaté logo a ve středu etikety v kroužku výrazné označení „XO“. Kdysi tam byla dvacetka, ale svádělo to k myšlence, že se jedná o dvacetiletý ročníkový rum, takže výrobci ji velmi rozumně přemístili pod zmíněný kroužek. Trochu zklamáním je umělý korek. No co už. A bittersweet opening, mid-palate reveals molasses cookie, pineapple, ginger, and vanilla. Becomes a reasonably-rounded rum with soft chocolate and vanilla on the finish. Summary But it’s all a little bit one-dimensional. It’s not unpleasant but it is not really what I would expect of an aged Barbados rum. Sipped the rum is very easy to drink. It goes down easily with a fairly minimal burn. It tastes pretty much like a coconut liqueur, it just has a thinner mouthfeel.

John, great piece and I’m totally in agreement with your angle. I’ve enjoyed rum for some years now but have only begun my forays into more premium offerings. After initially being wowed by the Plantation XO I came across the documentation of their dosage practices and felt cheated – how much of what I tasted was the sugar and how much the quality of the production practices and aging? What makes this more egregious is that Maison Ferrand (which makes some delicious cognac, to show I’m not too biased) is forbidden in its cognac production from chaptalization, or adding sugar. What’s good for the goose should be good for the gander. Just like their Grande Reserve, Plantation Barbados 5 Years is produced from a blend of Barbadian rums, aged for three to four years in the tropical climate of Barbados. Takto rumy z Barbadosu (a dalších karibských zemí), které tam několik let zrají v sudech po bourbonu směřují do Francie a kde pokračují ve zrání v dubových sudech po koňaku Pierre Ferrand XO Grande Champagne. V současnosti společnost vlastní i známou barbadoskou destilérku West Indies Rum Distillery, kde se kromě rumů Plantation rodí i Bumbu, či Dos Maderas rum. Výroba Plantation XO 20th Anniversary The actual rum taste is obscured but the spirit doesn’t taste particularly old or well aged. Aside from coconut I get notes of sweet young alcohol rather than a sophisticated blend of aged rums. Plantation’s Barbados Wild Cherry Finish rum shows that they can make excellent Barbados rum.

The Story

They say that the GI must be inclusive and faithful to the roots of all Barbados rum making. To me, that sounds like a flashy excuse for being allowed to cut corners. I am no Barbados history expert, but I am sure there were shady practices in the past of Barbados rum-making, just like every growing and unregulated industry in the past. How is rum going to get the respect and prestige it deserves if its standards don’t match up to Scotch and Bourbon? Scotch and Straight Bourbon don’t allow additives aside from water and caramel coloring. Aren’t shady practices in American whisky the reason why the Bottled-in-bond act was made? The bottle with the mesh is slightly less sweet. It is darker, than the honey gold of the shorter bottle. It doesn't have as much complexity. It's still a decent sipper but falls short of great.

Despite all the information provided re Barbados rum, the proposed GI and the different approach to rum by Plantation and its parent Maison Ferrand, you end up finishing the review by tarring all Barbados rum with the same brush in the statement: “If this is the future standard of Barbados rum, then I will not buy anymore Barbados rum in the future.” Irrespective of whether Maison Ferrand win or lose (hopefully lose) in their efforts to change the Barbados GI, the other producers are not likely to follow their lead and as such you should very much advise drinkers to try Barbados rum, but to encourage them to look at the rums from Foursquare, Mount Gay and St Nicholas Abbey distilleries. Už na pohľad zaujímavý rum Plantation XO 20th Anniversary je vyrobený zo zmesi niekoľkých prémiových extra starých rumov z Barbadosu. Je vytvorený na počesť Master Blendera Alexandra Gabriela!During his tenure at Maison Ferrand, Gabriel would dispose of used cognac casks by selling them to distilleries in Scotland and the Caribbean. "Our love affair with rum began when we sold the prized casks that once held our Cognac to rum producers, and we fell in love with their product," says Alexandre. Centuries ago, Caribbean rum producers would send casks of rum to Europe and the United States, where the rum would mature before it was bottled and sold to the public. "This is a practice that was done more commonly in the past but has almost disappeared now. We thought who better than Ferrand, with our know-how and exceptional casks, to resurrect this ancient technique." Tropical notes of prunes and coconut and spiced fudge with the woodiness of French oak. A lingering and complex finish of resin, spice, and dried banana. Summary And to be honest quite a “confected” one at that. It’s very sweet. The nose becoming almost saccharin like – just a slight bitter artificial note creeping in. Despite this I can still get some notes of oak and spice from the rum. Hints of vanilla and some traces of bourbon flit in and out. I’ve had a lot of Foursquare rum. They make great rum without needing to rely on aging outside of Barbados and the sweetening. The few Mt. Gay I’ve had were nothing spectacular but they were decent. Still, it’s a lot better than everything being indistinguishable from one another because of all the added sugar. Plantation 20th Anniversary Extra Old Barbados Rum earned the Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2011, and a score of 94 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.

Plantation Original Dark showcases toasty oak tannins and burnt Demerara sugar notes with Christmas fruitcake, funky Jamaican fruit, and a spicy crème brûlée aftertaste. Summary I recall hearing the words “there is power in a name”. I don’t remember when and where I heard this. But I’m very sure this rings true in the liquor world. A liquor brand may not be recognized by a consumer. But a liquor’s provenance will automatically communicate its prestige and quality. A Central American molasses rum, Plantation Gran Anejo, is distilled and aged in Guatemala in casks formerly used for American whiskey before being re-casked and further aged in France at Maison Ferrand’s Chateau de Bonbonnet in barrels formerly used for cognac for up to a year. On the other camp is Maison Ferrand (MF) whose rum arm is Plantation. Plantation used to only be an IB rum bottler. Then MF acquired the West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Barbados in 2017. They are now distilling and aging Barbados rum in WIRD. They still continue to source rum from countries like Fiji, Panama and Trinidad. Along with that acquisition were shares in Jamaican distilleries Long Pond and Monymusk/Clarendon. I’ll add that they also want to make changes with the already established Jamaican GI. This is my opinion alone… and probably the opinion of many other rum geeks. This is too sweet. This “rum” tastes more like a coconut chocolate flavored liqueur. Drinkers with a sweet tooth may give this a high score but this is really not for me.Láhev se snaží být efektní a reprezentativní, ale při pohledu na ni víte, že je to jen předstírání. Zlatohnědá barva s mírnou hloubkou, ve sklenici základní rum. Ovocná sladká vůně s banánem a meruňkou, květinovými tóny a vanilkou. Velmi sladké a husté v ústech s trochou alkoholu na začátku, karamelem a melasou. Potom následuje několik tónů sudu a kůže, které přetrvávají v dřevitém a suchém závěru. Skromná dochuť se dřevem, rzí a kovem. Tento rum není špatný, ale chybí mu komplexnost…“ Na Heurece většinou jen stručné ale mimořádně pozitivní recenze: The addition of sugar syrup and flavorings is prohibited. However, caramel coloring under strict guidelines will be allowed for consistency. Now that I’ve introduced you to eight of the best Plantation rums worthy of delighting your taste buds, you can decide what Plantation Rum is best for you!