Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

I have vacation house in Barbados. So obviously I drink this tasty sweet molasses juice. Not too hot, not to cool, just right for the hot Caribbean sun.

Butterscotch and creamy caramel on the nose, with some toffee and nuts in the background. The initial taste is full of sweet cream and carmelized sugar. Baking spices show up in the middle, mixing with the sugar before finishing with some tropical citrus that’s blended with the crème brûlée. The finish tapers into sweet oak with a hint of molasses.

Nose: Vanilla, tropical fruit (pineapple, mango), honey, sugar and coconut notes, but it's very light in character. It has a light dusty oak aroma as well that is pleasant and almost floral. In some ways it's reminiscent of a light bourbon nose but it's rather shy and subtle overall. Palate: A mildly sweet entry with demerara sugar, white sugar, cream and vanilla, but it's very tame. There is not much development - maybe a little more vanilla and some molasses, but the flavours from the arrival dominate. The texture is somewhat thin, even verging on watery. It has a taste profile like a white rum and while pleasant it's a bit shallow - the palate seems to race to the finish and before you know it the flavours are all fading away. Finish: Short. Vanilla and mild orange but once again it's demerara sugar you notice most in the aftertaste. I first tried this about 12 months ago as part of a 6 x 100ml Plantation tasting selection and thought it to be OK, but not much more than average. Finding myself in need of some rum for mixing I bought a bottle today as it was on special at 50% discount at the local liquor shop. This is a very approachable rum that offers no challenge or complexity. It is easy to drink, mild and inoffensive but there is a monotonous one-tone sugar note running through it. Lovers of heavy, forceful rum with pungent hogo will think they are tasting vodka with a jigger of dark rum added. On the other hand those who generally find rum to be sickly, cloying and over-sweetened may well regard this as delicate, subtle and friendly. In many ways this rum smells and tastes more like a good white rum than a gold or dark rum. In mixed drinks it tends to disappear, and in a Cuba Libre it is completely swamped by the cola. At the price it does not represent particularly good value. "Average" : 77/100 (2.5 stars)

Tasted neat in a snifter and just WOW! Very smooth with great sweetness.