An Actual Pineapple INFUSED rum- a much more flavorful and delicious way of making a proper rum with flavor- not using chemical equivalents made in a stainless steel tank somewhere in New Jersey, or flavors/extracts but real ( and heirloom!) pineapple.
Notes: Frankly I approached flavored rums 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 of the underage and people who live under bridges, much like their flavored vodka brethren,,,
Thankfully this is not the case with the Planteray Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum or their other infused rum the Planteray Cut and Dry Coconut Rum. Please note that I use the term 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 heirloom Reunion Island grown Queen Victoria ( the first ) Pineapples which where first named/recognized in 1688, and considered to be a delicacy class of pineapple , to infuse one liter of Barbados rum, The pineapple is harvested fully ripe, and the skin/rind of the pineapple is used as that is where all the concentrated oils reside. and concentrate the natural flavor when infused into the rum. This is a multistep process where the pineapple is infused into a mix of column and Pot ( the old Gregg Pot Still) still rum , then is further blended 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, 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, Cut and Dry Coconut Rum, and this, Stiggins Fancy Pineapple Rum Original 1824 Recipe, 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 medium maple syrup colored , On swirling it leaves a light coat and rapidly forms droplets on the receding meniscus and a crinkly edge with tears and les forming
First Impression: Medium heavy oils of pineapple slip out of the glass and the vapors mingle 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 pineapple rind flavors – even they are a bit too delicate to survive a full on 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 ( 20 grams per liter or roughly 3 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. The Barbados rums spiciness plays well with the pineapple and was an excellent choice for a complex yet harmonious base for the pineapple to riff off
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 pineapple juice products so a real plus there.
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 slightly bulbous neck. Planteray Sigil stamped in glass at the shoulder, Scalloped edge label with attractive graphics and artwork. Somewhat colorful drawings with background. Tan/parchment colored label with red background at bottom of main label and description . Fair 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 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 pineapple flavored rum, this would definitely be a contender,
Mind you I think the is a bit of a specialized product, but not sure how long it would take me to get through a bottle 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 pineapple 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 on both sides of that equation !
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 !
