Notes: This rum is part of the Plantation lines of rum  (Plantation 3 Stars,Original Dark Overproof 73%,2oth Anniversary, and the Old Reserve 1998 Guadeloupe, Trinidad 200 Vintage,Barbados 2000 Vintage, Jamaica 2000 Vintage, Guadeloupe 1998 Vintage, Guyana 1999 Vintage, Panama 2000 Vintage, and this the Plantation Grande Reserve Barbados 5 Year Old , among  others  by the cognac house of Pierre Ferrand. This is part of a new venture for the Pierre Ferrand Cognac house, which has also produced the Mathilde Liqueurs such as the Peach which we reviewed earlier, along with a Peach, Pear, Black Currant, Raspberry, and Orange XO. Their products also include Citadelle Gin, Citadelle Reserve Gin, Citadelle Vodka, Magellan Gin, and a host of other spirits. Alexander Gabriel  the head of Pierre Ferrand is constantly blending and experimenting with new products as both an enthusiasm/hobby and also to develop new products. I highly recommend visiting the distillery  if you get a chance – it is a delight to both the eye and the palette.

This particular rum has a somewhat complicated backstory which is worth retelling. While all the rums from the Ferrand Plantation series are made according to the usual methods dependent on country of origin (raw material and distillation techniques) they are then taken to Cognac and aged using very unusual and unique techniques that no one else uses for aging rum. Pierre Ferrand ( the brand not an individual – that would be Alexandre Gabriel) uses small cognac barrels to age all their rums while most of the industry uses old bourbon barrels to finish their rum.
This Barbados rum is a molasses base pot distilled rum aged for 5 years in bourbon barrels then rebarreled in Cognac Limosin Oak barrels to finish its aging process

Appearance: Faultlessly clear Baltic amber in color. On swirling it coats the glass nicely

First Impression: Dark,rich plush smells of vanilla, coconut, dark chocolate ,molasses and tropical fruits

Taste: Toasted coconut, vanilla with oak,leather, and saddle soap notes, chocolate fudge, luscious full bodied taste with a sweet entry  that dries a bit and leaves you with a toasted vanilla, coconut and dark chocolate taste in the long finish that lingers pleasantly. Later on some drying black pepper notes come out to temper the sweetness while a pleasant oiliness holds the tastes  on your tongue and treats you to a complex melange of rum goodness. Smooth, seductive, and complex, especially for the money involved. Makes most rum at this price range taste like benzene by comparison.

Drinks: Certainly good enough to enjoy on its own, it is a lovely lush rum that works well in just about any drink calling for a dark or aged rum.

Bottle: Clear glass with a light fishnet type wrapping of  fiber. Can’t comment much beyond that as we were not given a production bottle to comment on.

Cigars: Try a La Unica or Flor de Ybor to compliment this cheap to buy but excellent rum

Final Thoughts: A great buy for a lovely dark rum with some age to it. Plush,complex and complicated.

Website: http://plantationrhum.com/en/

A nicely done website if a touch light on hard information in some respects. Well worth a visit to understand all their rums and the sisiter pages