Plantation Pineapple Stiggins' Fancy Rum

Great value, great taste. Good to sip and also great as a mixer. Nose is full of delicious sweetness and pineapple without being too cloying. Finishes with a nice nose burn. Palette is very comparable to the nose. Lots of layers of sweetness that are nuanced enough to be interesting, and not so sweet as to be offensive. Finish is nice and clean. Not too long. Incredible beverage really, especially for the price and versatility!

A deep, rich orange. Vegetal nose, pineapple for sure but sharing a kinship with rye whiskey. A twinge of spice. Sweet syrup, then the pineapple builds. Prominently features the bark: grassy, bitter, and fresh, with pineapple juice complimenting around the edges. That bitter edge offsets the sweet, with a delicate burn and spice that lingers. Really nicely done, and complex in a way that conventionally flavored rums can only dream of. Creamy coconut evokes pina colada. Gentle fruit and floral notes. Somewhere between a rum and liqueur, this is a quality option on the shelf that is not imitated by merely mixing rum with pineapple juice. Worth a try.

For sød

Nose: Light fruity aromas (peach, apricot, rockmelon) with a fragrant character, as if there is a hint of frangipani or jasmine. Pineapple is there, but reserved and subtle. Brown sugar, vanilla, and just a hint of oak cask. Palate: Very soft and supple arrival. Sweet, but not syrupy, more like nectar or honey-water. The pineapple presence is again subtle but it is pervasive. You can’t fail to notice it, but it is not at all heavy or gauche. Vanilla notes and tropical fruit fill out the sweet palate development. The texture is beguiling. Finish: Short. Sweet, fruity, mild sugars and suggestions of very soft spice. This is one of those drinks I’ve been meaning to try for a long time but kept putting off. It catches my eye every time I’m at the liquor shop but until today I’ve always reached past it, not because I didn’t think it would be good, but because something else always looked more interesting. Today it happened to be on sale so the time had come, and now I’m wishing I’d not waited so long. This is delightful. I’ve tasted a number of flavoured and spiced rums (although admittedly it’s not a favourite category) and this is without doubt the best I’ve experienced. The naturalness of the pineapple presence is captivating and akin to freshly squeezed pineapple juice that has been diluted just a little with sweetened water. Although there is a fairly hefty dosage employed (20g/litre) on this occasion it works very well and there is something about this rum that is half-way between a liqueur and a spirit. My usual preference is for big, estery rums with loud hogo and I avoid sweet rums as they are cloying to my palate. However the sweetness of this flavoured rum works because it is restrained and the texture is light and delicate. It’s delicious neat as a digestif and we have several ideas for using it in cocktails (it teams well with coconut milk) or as an addition to spritzes and sangria. My favourite ways to take it so far are either neat or as a long drink (30ml Pineapple Stiggins over 3-4 ice cubes, 100ml dry ginger ale, a slice of lime and top up with soda water). “Very Good” : 85/100 (4 stars)