MUCH better than one would expect !
A much better and naturally flavored rum which makes it very unusual and a refreshing change from the ordinary !
Notes: Frankly I approached this rum with some apprehension – not to say Fear and Loathing, as spiced and/or flavored rums are usually not my favorites, as they tend to low quality rum flavored with chemical equivalents of flavors and sweetened to death. Usually the province or the underage and people who live under bridges, much like their flavored vodka brethren,,,
Thankfully this is not the case with the Planteray Cut and Dry Rum…
Please note that this rum is infused – NOT flavored as this is a completely different animal – infused means the rum came into actual contact with the fruit- not a extract, chemical equivalent of a flavor/fruit, but the actual fruit(s) by soaking said fruit in the rum. This ives you and entirely different result than merely adding an extract of flavoring with far more nuance and subtlety as a result. More expensive and labor intensive but worth it !This rum uses an actual locally grown coconut to infuse on liter of Barbados rum, The coconut is harvested fully ripe, cut in half and segmented into pieces to try and concentrate the natural flavor when infused into the rum. This is a multistep process where the coconut meat is infused into a mix of column and Pot ( the old Gregg Pot Still) still rum , then is further blende with more Barbados rum to achieve their desired flavor profile.The result is far superior to most of their competitors and I would also point out that it is bottled at 80 proof – not the usual 70 proof ( or lower ) that most flavored rum products are bottled at. This allows more leeway for mixing as the rum is not too diluted before you even start mixing.
This rum is part of their Planteray Series of Rum which are hand selected rums from some of the best areas for rum production areas in the world that are selected for further attention and aging by Planteray. Others in the series that we have reviewed include the Overproof 63%,, Mauritius 2013, Isle of Fiji, Sealander, Barbados 5 Year Old, Belize 2008, Xamaca, Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum Original 1824 Recipe, Canerock Spiced Rum, Planteray 3 Stars White Rum, the Monymusk White Overproof Jamaica Rum, the Overproof 69% O.F.T.D,, The Planteray Original Dark Rum, the XO 2oth Anniversary Barbados Blend, and this, The Cut and Dry Coconut Rum among others by the cognac house of Pierre Ferrand. This is part of a rebranding of the rum lines for the Pierre Ferrand Cognac house, which has also produced the Mathilde Liqueurs such as the Peach which we reviewed earlier, along with a Pear, Black Currant, Raspberry, and Orange XO. Their products also include Citadelle Gin, Citadelle Reserve Gin, Citadelle Rouge Gin, Citadelle Jardin D Été Gin, Citadelle Vive Le Cornichon Gin, Citadelle Vodka, Magellan Gin, their Dry Orange Curacao , the Yuzu Curacao, and a host of other spirits. Alexandre 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.
See our pictures from the Chateau and distillery where this rum is blended and cellared in our Adventure Section
Appearance: Clear, a rather light tan/khaki color to itOn swirling it leaves a light coat and rapidly forms droplets on the receding meniscus
First Impression: Light dry coconut oils and vapors as it were roll out of the glass mingled with a light spiciness from the usual Barbados rum profiles. It does however lack the intensity of said rum, but we are assuming this was toned down so as not to drown out the coconut flavors – they are a bit too delicate to survive a aged Barbados rum.
Taste:Much better than expected – even after our smelling the bouquet and getting some sense of hope, delicious actually and rather delicate.A fair amount of dosage went into this ( 35 grams per liter or roughly 4 ounces of sugar per gallon) this tastes more like to meet consumer expectations for a sweet flavored rum profile rather than just trying to cover a sweetened paint remover kind of rum others seems to favor for such products.
Drinks: Of course the Pina Colada was amazing. As an adjunct rum in other drinks it held up well and helped avoid over diluting or over sugaring by having to use various other coconut products so a real plus there. It was also great in the Coconut Water Highball ( one way to replace some of that hydration and blood plasma in hot weather )
Bottle : As one of the Planteray Bar Classics Portfolio series this bottle is similar to its other cohorts of that line.
Cylindrical shaped clear glass with Ratafia net. Scalloped edge label with attractive graphics and artwork. Somewhat colorful drawings with Bogeyman, pelican. and a sailing ship on a ocean blue background.. Gold bordered label with white background at bottom of main labelFair amount of information on back label but a challenge for anyone over 30 years old to read. Composite cork closure with flat black neck capsule and gold/bronze with blue band with the Planteray graphic.
Overall an attractive and eye-catching package.
Other: Goes with with a non filtered ( Blue Packet) Gauloise cigarette
Final Thoughts: Overall if I was choosing a coconut rum, this would definitely be the one !
Mind you I think the is a bit of a specialized product, ( I like the occasional Pina Colada , but not sure how long it would take me to get through a bottle) for Pina Coladas this is a must have ingredient, if I was more of a Tiki freak it would hold a definite place in my bar line up !
also another proviso is it seems pricey for a coconut flavored rum. But if you taste what godawful crap most if not all of the competition tastes like, and consider the amount of handwork that goes into each bottle, well you get what you pay for !
Website: www.planterayrum.com/product
Overall an excellent website if a bit light on some information. The Specifications sheets are useful links on the individual rum pages but overall just as not derailed as some other rum websites we have seen. Good general information but the search functions and trying to find which category a particular rum comes under can be frustrating !
