Speaking of slavery Dept: Plantation Rums Breakdown

[Capn Jimbo]

With no ado...


To begin, I'm sure most here are fully aware of some of the big surprises with the sugar outing of some once famous names: El Dorado, Ron Matusalem, the Zee's, Diplomatico and Plantation. Sugar bombs all, at least for the rums in the ALKO and Swedish reports. Most should have been no surprise anyway for anyone with a functional tongue.

Today, I thought it worthwhile to examine the issue of honest discussion of age and finishing, if any...

Plantation 3 Stars – White Rum - Alc.41,2%
"...matured Trinidad rum imparts its classic elegance, Barbados delivers sophistication with a balanced mouth feel and Jamaica conveys its unmistakable structure and rustic edge. "

Age is simply not discussed here.


Plantation 20th anniversary - Alc.40%
"...A blend of the company's oldest reserves, this rum is something else. Selected rums aged for long years in the Caribbean are painstakingly blended by our cellar master at Château de Bonbonnet then matured in small French oak casks for a further 12 to 18 months."

Primary age is avoided, with only a 12 to 18 month "finishing" noted.


Plantation Grande Réserve 5 years - Alc.40%
"...A very fine blend of Barbados rums, aged for five years in bourbon casks in the Caribbean then refined in old French oak casks at Château de Bonbonnet."

Five years in American oak, then an apparently quick dunk in French.


Plantation Guatemala Gran Anejo - Alc.42%
No discussion of age or finishing whatever.


Plantation Barbados 2001 - Alc.42%
"...A blend of rums distilled in column and traditional pot stills, aged 9 years in bourbon and sherry casks then 3 years in cognac casks".

This may be the only Plantation described reasonably. Let's see...


Plantation Jamaica 2001 - Alc.42%
"...Intense and highly aromatic as a result of long fermentation and pot-still distillation, Plantation Jamaica is faithful to its origins."

Not a word about aging. Again.


Plantation Panama 2002 - Alc.42%
"...This rum is column distilled followed by 10 years in bourbon cask."

Honest age, but NO French Oak on this one.


Plantation Grenada 2004 - Alc.42%
Not a word on aging.


Plantation Trinidad 2001 - Alc.42%
Not a word about aging.


Plantation Guyana 2005 - Alc.45%
"...From the famous Demerara region beside the Atlantic Ocean, Plantation Guyana is the result of extra-long fermentation and pot-still distillation. Aged for long years in bourbon casks,"

"Famous, extra-long, long" - all undefined, and we are left to wonder just what the fack this one is.


Plantation Nicaragua 2003 - Alc.42%
"...This rum is made from a short fermentation and column distilled. It is cask-aged in Nicaragua for nine years, before finishing the ageing in brandy cask."

Nine years, plus unspecified finishing time.


Plantation Original Dark - Alc.40% and Alc.73%
"...a blend of Trinidad brown rums matured in young bourbon casks."

Two bottlings, no finish, unknown age (likely quite young).




Flat Ass Bottom Line

Plantation makes much of their process, featuring special selection, and with great emphasis on their aging protocol, described as:

"Plantation rums are first aged for many years in the Caribbean, in its hot and humid climate, generally in young bourbon casks. When they reach maturity, they are shipped to Maison Ferrand’s Château de Bonbonnet at their natural strength in order to preserve their richness of aroma and flavor.

There, they are matured by our cellar master for several months to a year in small oak casks in order to give them even more elegance, "

With promotion like this, you'd think that if nothing else, the aging regimen would be meticulously specified. It is not. Only two of their current twelve rums are fully described. But you can't fight their marketing and presentation, so effective that those few monkeys who can so afford it, actually consider these collectible and have penis measuring contests over whose collection is "complete" and whose is "not".

Havabanana!

[Nekkandor]

With no ado...

"Plantation rums are first aged for many years in the Caribbean, in its hot and humid climate, generally in young bourbon casks. When they reach maturity, they are shipped to Maison Ferrand’s Château de Bonbonnet at their natural strength in order to preserve their richness of aroma and flavor.

There, they are matured by our cellar master for several months to a year in small oak casks in order to give them even more elegance, "

With promotion like this, you'd think that if nothing else, the aging regimen would be meticulously specified. It is not. Only two of their current twelve rums are fully described. But you can't fight their marketing and presentation, so effective that those few monkeys who can so afford it, actually consider these collectible and have penis measuring contests over whose collection is "complete" and whose is "not".

Havabanana!

I have to admit that I once was one of those monkeys in 2011. I finally reached the point where I could not see any point in collecting these rums anymore, because I found my personal heaven with the other independent bottlers. They showed my how superior rum could truly be. My personal turning point was the Cadenhead Green Label Barbados 15 YO.

And once you reached "the next level" there is no turning back. I tasted a few of them the last year again and I was disgusted by the taste of many rums from their range. Too sweet in comparision and the taste is not typical for the individual Caribbean islands or nations. The ones from Barbados tasted so unnatural and they had a strange coconut flavour. I guess this new one from 2001 must taste like his predecessors. The rums were all from the West India Rum Distillery and are representing a light style. I was able to identify them by comparison with other bottlings from Samaroli (1995 & 1996) and Pellegrini (1996 & 2004). The style is not the best what Barbados has to offer.

Btw: Has anyone seen the newest "masterpiece" they have released?

http://thefloatingrumshack.com/content/ ... voured-rum

In my humble opinion are bottlers like Ferrand the reason why rum mostly is only considered for mixing purposes.

Both, the Plantation Guyana 1990 and Plantation Guyana 1999, were rums from the Port Mourant still. I guess this one is just another one from this still. But don't expect a typical Port Mourant flavour. The other ones were not too bad, but not really good in comparision to other bottlings from this still. They lacked of maturity in the nose and on the palate.

[Capn Jimbo]

Nekk...


Don't feel too bad. Back in the beginning as absolute noobs, we too were horribly naive, and like so many others before and since put our trust in the Shillery and promoters such as The Rum Queen, the Baddassitor of Rum and the Burr Bros, et al. I'm mean really, who among us knew back then?

The first Plantation to REALLY turn us off was their so-called Grand Reserva 5 Year. But here's the thing. All sellers of anything have to have what in the biz was once referred to as your USP - your Unique Selling Proposition. In other words, that which you alleged that made you different and worth buying.


Plantation's USP?

Simple: selection and special double aging. The pitch might as well have been that they painstakingly journeyed from island to island, exploring, trading beads with the natives and seeking not only specially talented distillers, but then searching through thousands of casks of rums, pipette in hand, and then - finally - finding a really special barrel and saying "We want THAT one!"

You know, SPECIAL selections - only the fackin best!

Then using legendary and near magical skills painstaking learned through decades of making cognac - Cognac I say! - to use very special ex-cognac - Cognac I say! - barrels to perform a yes, special secondary aging to add even more amazing and carefully managed flavors and aroma to the already special rum they'd carefully transported to yup, romantic France - and around the Eiffel Tower - before the special second aging. Of course this is an exaggeration. Of course. Plantation would never claim encircling the Eiffel, lol... I kid, I kid.

So. Special Selections and Special Double Aging.

Pretty impressive, and saleable? You bet, and then look at those fantastic bottles and their spiiffy labels, hand wrapped in those romantic and expensive looking straw encasements. Wowee!! Zowee!! It worked - the monkeys couldn't stop "collecting" them as each one came out. Such a deal!


A superb USP. But then what?

Not much. For a company whose USP is so simple and clear, it's amazing how little they actually tell you about the rum. We don't learn what distillery, what methods, what protocol. Compare to the Real McCoy, who openly and proudly brags their rum was made by Foursquare and Richard Seale. No purity or coloring statements. We learn very little about the barrels, their cooperage, ages or number of uses or of the actual aging protocol (see OP). In other words, Plantation's USP seems a romantic but disappointingly unfulfilled claim. And with the newly discovered ALKO sugar levels, just what are we to think anyway?

It's like this: if you're going to claim all this specialness, then you have to be clear, complete and specific. You have to back it up. Or else.

Of the bunch it's the unfulfilled and unspecified claims that offends me the most. As a former marketing man, I can tell you that it's not only possible, but preferable to find and promote a real, transparent and honest unique selling proposition. It was our job to find that USP and then effectively communicate it in memorable fashion. Most of my compatriots felt the same way, but no more. Currently, in modern marketing the opposite is true, but know this: if you claim a USP that you can't back up, well...

Havabanana!