Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

My first foray into Jamaican rum, after hearing so much about how unique it is. Aged in the Caribbean for years and finished for another entire year in Ferrand cognac casks, bottled at 86 proof. A lot of craft bourbons would ask $60-80 to deliver those stats - but this bottle was $19 out the door, on sale. It pays to diversify your palate. The pour delivers on the promise of unique tastes. Vanilla, banana, and a salty funk hit the nose, with no significant ethanol contribution. The hogo is so hard to describe - and combined with the smoke it could be compared on a first glance to peat notes. But the finish is so different than peat - it swings sweet and so fruity. No significant oak or wood characteristics, but that’s not surprising for the age. It’s difficult to tell if the fruit notes, banana, grape, strawberry jam, come from the rum or the cognac finish. But to be honest I don’t care - this is an excellent bottle, and a killer value for any bourbon drinker that is a little bored and looking for a drastic change in profile.

Nose: Kinda funky with banana notes Palate: Banana, arrack Finish: Smooth, warming, a bit salty

COLOUR: Deep copper. LEGS: Thick, watery, messy clothesline; no real legs developed, but there was a loose and general moistening of the glass; it looked very thick on the glass. NOSE: Powerful (4/5), deep & rich; funky; mildly sweet; dusty herbal; over-ripe tropical fruits; caramel; fried banana; hint of lime. WITH WATER (5 drops into 15mL): funk reduces; smoke rises; very interesting change! Score 8/10 TASTE: Powerful (5/5); thick & oily; dripping tropical fruits; nutty & oaky; mild sweetness; tingling burn on front of tongue; funky; drying. WITH WATER: sweeter & gentler; the fruit gets a little less over-ripe. Score: 9/10 FINISH: Medium to long; sweet fresh fruit; satisfying burn and warmth; very drying. WITH WATER: similar, but perhaps a bit less drying initially. Score 9/10 OVERALL: A very nice, robust, and funky, naturally made old-fashioned Jamaican rum; delicious; very dry and nowhere near the cloying sweetness of most rums; worth repeating. Weighted Score 8.7/10 IMAGERY: I am James Bond between assignments, relaxing by the pool with my brown-eyed girl. "Oh yesh, make it a double!"

Neat. Nose is delicious and typical of Jamaican pot still, sweet, fruity, and funky. Very ripe banana, pineapple, and other tropical fruits. The esters are notable, but balanced with the sweet notes. Also some oak, molasses, vanilla, and light herbal notes. Flavors are moderate in intensity. Dry with very little sweetness. Dried tropical fruits, pepper, orange peel, banana, esters, allspice, smoke. Finishes with the esters and a little saccharine sweetness Overall, a great option for those that want the Jamaican flavors without the syrupy sweetness. Also a nice gateway to Jamaican rum from drier spirits

As I tumble further down the rum rabbit hole, I’ve been studying the different styles of rum. So far most of my experience has been with Barbados rum, which I find excellent and appreciate Foursquare’s commitment to “authentic” rum, with no sugar or additives, and Demerara rum, the likes of Eldorado (excellent but you need a sweet tooth). I’ve been less enthused by some “premium” rums, which have flashy marketing and lots of added sugar (think Diplomatico). Plantation falls somewhere in the middle of that spectrum for me. I enjoyed their Fiji expression last year for its combination of fruitiness and diesel fuel, and the 3 Star is my go-to workhorse rum mixer. I’ve been interested in the so-called Jamaican rum funk, and decided to try this bottle at a $17 sale price before investing in a more boutique bottling from Worthy Park or Hampden Estate. The nose on this is identical to the Fiji expression, which leads me to believe it must be more influence from the Ferrand Cognac casks than the rum itself. It’s quite fruity and buttery, and leads me to think I should invest in a bottle of Ferrand Cognac. The taste is quite a bit more subdued. I’ll be honest, I expected more. It’s lovely and easy to drink, mind you, but it seems a little flat compared to the nose. I get banana, papaya, mango, grape must, coconut, and the slightest bit of hogo. Quite pleasant, but I was hoping for a bit more of a wow factor. That said, this can be a versatile spirit, for neat pours, rocks, or to mix in my ubiquitous summer rum drinks. I’ll enjoy this bottle, and I look forward to future exploration of the Jamaican rum category. Cheers!