Notes: This ia one of Planterays foundational rums being one of their original landed rums and a blend of Barbados and Jamaica rums. It was blended with the idea of taking two very distinctive rums and blending them to create a solid, easy drinking yet complex rum

Geeky details : 3 day ferment at the West Indies Distillery in Barbados using pot and column stills,  2 week ferment in Jamaica at the Long Pond Distillery and pot stills . Dosage is 15 grams of sugar per liter ( for metrically challenged Americans that is roughly 2 ox of sugar per gallon) . Volatile compounds come in at 160 grams per HL making it nicely spicy without being a palate burner.Caramel for color adjustment is 0-.01 %

Appearance: Clear, old gold light tobacco color to it .On swirling it leaves a medium coat on the glass which rapidly tears into tears.

First Impression: Cinnamon, vanilla, orange and papaya. dried fruit, dates, figs, nicely aromatic and spicy

Taste: Delicious, especially for the price point ( Around $ 20  bucks a bottle ) – Nice weighty entry with complexity and spiciness , nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, orange peel, lemon, vanilla, slightly sweet, but offset by a medium drying finish that is slightly grassy and and alkali.

Drinks: Probably on of the best dark mixing rums out there at present. While it has a bit of a bite out front, that is actually something to look for in a mixing rum – at least one you are going to shake ( read almost all Tiki drinks and may other rum drinks) as stated b the famous Japanese bartender Kazuo Uyeda in his book  “Cocktail Techniques” you need a spirit with some bite that can stand up to shaking ( and the other ingredients ) in a shaken cocktail. A more subtle or refined spirit will disappear and you will not have a balanced drink. This rum has the bite and some edges along with some excellent bones as I call them ( complexities of taste and sensation that form a framework) to hang the other elements of a drink from with sufficient robustness to carry a lot of other ingredients and elements.Cheap enough to be an every day pour, for cooking or particularly baking and good enough to drink straight.
A good . solid choice for your rum cocktails of all kinds, Good for both your fancy tiki drinks and you more basic, simpler rum or rum such drinks.

Bottle: Tall cylindrical bottle with a slightly bulbous neck.Has a nice grip and balance in the hand, Attractive Brown background with old gold and russet red make it easy to spot at a distance on a shelf and catches the eye.  The  labeling is quite distinctive and attractive- it signals a serious rum is on the shelf. Composite cork closure with a small topper and a black neck capsule with the Plamteray logo on it completes an attractive package.

Other: This rum is part of the Planteray lines of rum,  Overproof 63%, XO 2oth Anniversary,  Mauritius 2013, Isle of Fiji, Sealander, Barbados 5 Year Old, Belize 2008, Xamaca, Cut and Dry Coconut Rum, 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, and this, The Planteray Original Dark 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, 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

Cigars : Good with a natural or even darker wrapper (Maduro or Negra) try it with a Ghurka or if you are feeling fancy a Rocky Patel.

Final Thoughts: A well done aged rum blend that comes by its taste and color honestly ( read not heavily colored with caramel) at a great price for the quality you are getting. While maybe not the smoothest and sweetest one out there it packs a lot of authenticity and skill of blending to make an extremely versitale and usable rum at a price you can afford. Head and shoulders above many others rums in its price range, we highly recommend it as your in house dark mixing rum.Beats the hell out of Bacardi- far better and more complex . My only complaint is I would like to see this at 90 – 100 proof or so.
Probably some of the best rum for this price on the market.An all around workhorse of a rum and a great choice for a bar looking to seriously upgrade their lower cost rum selections I would highly recommend it !

Website: www.planterayrum.com/product/originaldark

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 !