Plantation Trinidad 2003

Nose: Light gingery and cakey aromas, dates, raw sugar, panettone, some old oak. Palate: A light and beautifully balanced arrival with some subtle sugars, cinnamon, clove, citrus zest, raisins, vanilla and hazelnut. Delicious and so smooth. There's a slight tobacco note that is really interesting and as the palate develops a little orange and heavier citrus flavours come forward. Finish: Medium. It actually fades quite quickly with a vanilla-molasses presence being the last memory. Stunning. What a delightful light vintage rum. I tasted this from a sample pack of 6 100ml Plantation bottles, and I'm now determined to find a whole bottle of it. There's a facet to it that is almost more like bourbon than rum (I guess that's the aging in first-fill casks coming through). Sweet without being too cloying and with a texture that is light and almost ethereal rather than heavy. If you love heavy rums you'll probably find this too light for your preference, but I think it's one of the nicest rums I've tasted. "Very Good" : 87/100 (4.25 stars)

Too much bite