Rating: 15/23 I'd been interested in this because it sounded interesting and had incited some controversy. Also, Plantation has a solid track record. Then this won best rum in the world at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Now, I put very little credence in these spirit tasting competitions because I myself have tried sipping and spitting numerous spirits in one day and it very quickly burned out my palate. Also, Jim Beam Black won the International World Spirits Competition a couple years ago. While Beam Black is a fine bourbon, it is far from the best in the world and I can think of numerous that blow it out of the water (RR SiB, Joseph Magnus, WT MK Revival, RR 10, Eagle Rare, Dickel BiB, WT RB, 1792 Full Proof, GTS, Belle Meade Cask Strength, Weller 12, WLW, McKenna 10, Corsair Grainiac, Booker's, Blanton's, Elijah Craig, E. H. Taylor, ...). Oh, but I was supposed to be tasting Plantation Xaymaca? Right. N: It's kind of brash with a lot going on. Young, but not in a way that is necessarily bad. Fireworks, lots of tropical fruit (pineapple, banana, mango, orange, hints of lime, maybe passionfruit?), wood (young and old), some vague baking spices that I'm having trouble capturing - probably largely allspice. I eventually get some vanilla in a floral waft that the fruit overpowers most of the time. It smells tart in a way that is young but also balances out all of the fruit. There is sort of a mild toffee richness. I can tell that there's other stuff going on here, but that's all I can get right now. Just take this away: young and brash, with fantastic tropical rum complexity. P: The youth and alcohol are certainly present. Fireworks, of course, but they aren't the most dominant flavor. I get a light caramel, but it blends right into the juicy fruits, which bring in vanilla and gradually meld into wood and even a hint of bittersweet African chocolate. There are some bitter herbal and lightly minty qualities as well and some richer sugary quality like molasses perhaps does eventually come out. This is just full of flavor, a true contrarian to the standard Jamaican formula set by Appleton Estate. The tartness exacerbates the youth a bit. Arguably, it makes this a great palate for a mixed drink though since it's so brash and flavorful. F: More fruit continues coming out. The fireworks are there. Yeah, it's quite similar to the palate. I initially thought that this was just brash but interesting. It's grown on me though. I really enjoy drinking this rum. It's just so full of life and flavor. Like with tequila, sometimes a young spirit is great. Still, although it might be a step in the wrong direction, I'd be interested to try this aged a bit longer. I think Plantation has done a great job balancing out a large number of flavors that are very opinionated and should be at odds. It's a tad harsh, but worth it. It's a great choice if you've been drinking bourbon since it has such a strong flavor, so it holds up well. This is really good. It's up there with Appleton Estate 12 and Doorly's 12. I'd probably put it above Appleton Estate, but below Doorly's. This is one that I'll be keeping stocked going forward.