Notes: This is the Planteray XO 20th Anniversary Blend of extra old vintages of Barbados rum that were blended to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Alexandre Gabriel’s Planteray?Plantation rum brand and was originally made as a gift to Alexandre by his staff. It has now become a house blend/tradition/expression and joined their portfolio. The vintage rums themselves were produced using long fermentations and both copper pot and column  still distillations.  Aged for many years in Barbados in its  hot and humid climate, and although we don’t know what casks they used, some were probably  bourbon casks – since the market is always flooded with these low cost option barrels (but very flavorful casks – the price is cheap because there are so many on the market not necessarily a reflection of quality or lack thereof) among a few other types. These stocks of vintage rum were at some point when they were ready for market bought up by Cognac Ferrand  shipped to Cognac Ferrand’s Château de Bonbonnet at their natural strength in order to preserve their richness of aroma and flavor ( not to mention to save space).
They are then placed in small oak casks to age for 1 year to 18 months to polish and finish the rum. These are quite the mix of casks – new oak, used bourbon casks, Pierre Ferrand casks , all the barrels/casks have varying levels of toasting or charring – making for a complex portfolio of rums to make the final blend ! This technique was common in the 18th and 19th centuries ( both by merchants and also  by default in the ultimate owners storing it till use in their own cellars) but this practice has almost died out as almost no one stores spirits this way anymore sad to say ( except for real enthusiasts for their own use and a few bars)
Geeky Details: Twin column and pot still ( The Old Gregg’s at the West Indies Distillery), 3-5 day ferment . Volatile Compound 210/L , Dosage 19 grams per Liter ( about 2 oz per gallon) .
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, 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,, The Planteray Original Dark Rum, and this the XO 2oth Anniversary Barbados Blend, 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

Appearance: Aged mahogany, a delightful red gold.On swirling it leaves a thick oily coat on the glass which then starts to break up into tears  that descend ever so slowly back down to the pool of rum in the glass. This is quite a different behavior than the first version that developed legs that slowly descended back into the glass and denoting some significantly different components to make up the blend.

First Impression: Vanilla, cinnamon, butter, almonds, Spanish cedar, dried orange peels, lemon, dark dried fruit.

Taste: Vanilla, ginger,  caramelized cane, roasted coconut, cocoa nibs, Spanish cedar, apple butter, butter, nuts, orang and lemons, citrus, longons/rambutans. A somewhat spicy entry with a medium body weigh. A bit of a spice bombast settles down nicely with a medium lingering finish with a slightly spicy tail to it.

Drinks: Enjoyed on its own, it also does well in simpler rum drinks. Too good to use, if you must mix it, please don’t bury it under too many ingredients and let it shine through.The Planteray website has some excellent reccomendtions on cocktails – all of which we tested and loved.

Bottle: 1st Bottling; Flattened tear drop shape decanter with heavy base (similar to The Paradis, Louis XVI, and other obscenely expensive cognacs) Gold script with a lazer etched scene/diorama on either side  of the seal on the front of the bottle gold neck with concave crown, gold colored top with cork closure. A magnificent package for an even finer rum. Nicely done overall, lovely to look at. Impressive as a gift package.
2nd Bottling; (No difference in taste, just change of package)Heavy glass Decanter of clear,almost sparkling glass, roughly cylindrical in shape. Heavy glass decanter bottom, Gold lettering and a parchment almost currency grade label with matching printing quality with a discrete sisal netting.Paper ribbon label is below a ribbed neck topped with a cork sporting a large wooden stopper with an inset stamp/seal at the center of the stopper. Altogether an elegant package that stands out and conveys a sense of luxury and taste.  A wonderful thing to give or receive.
3rd or Current Bottling : Cylindrical heavy bottomed decanter style with short ( 2 finger width grip)with a vertical ribbed glass collar over a brown with gold printing neck band. Main Body has a antique style lithograph style rectangular Lakeland Old Gold applied lettering silk screened onto the glass with a back label silkscreened directly on the glass in both gold and white lettering.

Th cork closure is impressive a conical (wider top to to narrower bottom wood topper with a natural cork. The bottle also sports the ratafia netting that is a signature of Planterray rums.Overall an impressive package with a Lux feel to it. Easily spotted from a distance on a shelf and an impressive bottle to give as a gift.

Cigars: Romeo and Julietta or similar shade grown or natural wrapper so as to not intrude on the delicacy of this rum.

Other: While not in the usual style of the Plantation rum blends this is a complex and worthy rum

There is an older iteration of this rum in the form of Plantation 20th Anniversary here. Also please check out our other older Planteray/Plantation rum reviews by typing Plantation into our search function for older version and bottle shots of same to see how the brand has evolved over the years.

Final Thoughts: An amazingly flavorful and well balanced rum for an even more amazing price given the quality, ages of the rum and overall complexity . Rum proves to be the most affordable luxury spirit once again.

Website:  http://www.planterayrum.com/en/

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 !

Other/Main Website : MaisonFerrand.com

A nicely done and easy to navigate website, that while not flashy ( thankfully in my mind) has a lot of information about all their offerings – Liqueurs, gins, and cognacs among other offerings, all of which we have found to be delightful. Rarely do you find such a consistently great portfolio of spirits!