Plantation Isle of Fiji

Think back to the first time you tried a heavily peated scotch. What thoughts were going through your mind? What associations did you try to make to describe the experience? Was it a funky adventure you never forgot? Nosing and tasting this rum brings back a lot of those memories of the first Talisker 10 I bought all those years ago, and folks, it's a lovely ride. Now, I'm always down for a funky adventure. Diving further down the rum rabbit hole brought me to this dram. Plantation (outdated name aside...) seems to be what is best described as a rum independent bottler/finisher. Sort of a cross between a Signatory and Angels Envy. They're a French Cognac producer that sources aged and unaged rums from all over the world, brings them to SW France to age further in their French Oak barrels, imparting all the spicy, fruity, yummy goodness they do, and then bottle the rums and sell to our fine selves. This one hails from the Isle of Figi, and on this damp, rainy, humid summer night, it's the perfect funky adventure to go on. Nosing this you're immediately greeted with a fusel quality, like you caught a whiff of the jet fuel from the plane that just brought you to the island. As a veteran of heavily peated drams, I know to dig deeper past the funk, and doing so brings out mango, coconut, unripened bananas, vanillas, some nutmeg, ginger, and molasses. Very complex, and a nose you can sit and enjoy for some time. But this rum was made for drinking! It enters a bit thin, but quickly turns to viscous and mouth coating. The fruity elements from the nose carry over, with the addition of dates, raisins, and almond notes on the palate. If I hadn't done my research already, I might have guessed it had spent some time in a sherry cask. Must be the Cognac notes coming through. The spice is lovely without overpowering the fruit or the funk. The finish is sweet, but a bit short, with the fruity, spicy elements lingering. Well now this was a fun trip! If I had to compare it to something, it reminds me the most of a peated, sherry matured Highland single malt. It's got fruit and spice, with a good coating mouthfeel, but a meaty, funky element on the nose. Time and patient nosing reward the thoughtful drinker with this dram, and at $23, I continue to wonder why I pay so much for whiskey. Were there really days when whisky was also under the radar and cost next to nothing for an amazing bottle (not that the rare gem isn't still out there, like Evan Williams BiB or Early Times BiB)? I found this at a bigger local liquor store with dust on the bottle. It's clearly flying under the radar, but if you're a fan of fruit and spice and up for a funky adventure, check out a bottle for yourself. Cheers!

Raisins and figs with a very faint smokiness! Nice and sweet yet not too much. Nice drink

Neat. Glencairn. Freshly uncorked. As is typical for the brand, the packaging is attractive although the brightly-painted tropical mural motif is counterproductively informal. The netting remains iconic, if a touch kitschy - no longer a packaging justification but possibly functional in bartender's slippery hand. I appreciate Plantation's (now standard) transparency regarding the moderate 16 g/L sugar dosage. A light golden orange. Moderately oily texture and nicely spaced legs, albeit aided by the extra sucrose. Wildly aromatic even sitting outside, an arm's length away. Perhaps typical to a Fijian rum, but shares a clear kinship with assertive Jamaican rum hogo. Tropical fruit and esters plus a thread of cleaning solution. Papaya and vanilla. Cognac grape eau de vie is present as well. The funkiness avoids dominating the experience and stays "on top", allowing a surprisingly clean nosing "underneath". No ethanol whatsoever. Quite nice and memorable. On the palate it is again relatively clean. Gives the impression of a gentle Agricole Vieux. Initial sweetness transitions quickly to pineapple-laced vanilla and cavendish tobacco. Cooked carrots. A tingle of spice and aspartame dashes across the mouth before returning to sweet cane. Probably too sweet but not offensive. The closest comparable that comes immediately to mind is Denizen Merchant's Reserve. This might be its little brother - clearly the same structure and maybe 75-80% in most categories - quality, depth, assertiveness, and character. For the asking price, I think that's a very reasonable accomplishment. Ultimately, the dosage seems to limit its potential, but may also hide the warts. Regardless, it is quite tasty, if a touch too sweet. I'd have preferred somewhere around 6-9 g/L, if any at all, but can't really complain. I will enjoy the bottle, and the price was more than fair.