Plantation - XO Barbados 20th Anniversary Rum 70cl, 40% ABV

Product Information

Just like their Grande Reserve, Plantation Barbados 5 Years is produced from a blend of Barbadian rums, aged for three to four years in the tropical climate of Barbados. Plantation Grande Reserve is a blended Caribbean molasses rum that blends pot and column distilled Barbadian rums. It is then aged in Barbados’ hot and humid conditions, in casks formerly used for American whiskey and sherry. Už na pohľad zaujímavý rum Plantation XO 20th Anniversary je vyrobený zo zmesi niekoľkých prémiových extra starých rumov z Barbadosu. Je vytvorený na počesť Master Blendera Alexandra Gabriela! Not generally disagreeing with points raised in this “review” of the Plantation XO 20th Anniversary, but there’s a few comments I’d like to make in response:

Co se týče vizuálu, tak ten ozvláštňují vlákna třtiny či spíše nějaká forma lýka, nechybí zlaté logo a ve středu etikety v kroužku výrazné označení „XO“. Kdysi tam byla dvacetka, ale svádělo to k myšlence, že se jedná o dvacetiletý ročníkový rum, takže výrobci ji velmi rozumně přemístili pod zmíněný kroužek. Trochu zklamáním je umělý korek. No co už. Plantation je značka, která se na trhu objevuje od roku 1999, takže od ní nějakou extra historii neočekávejte. Spíše výjimečný marketing a příležitost. Majitel značky Alexander Gabriel nejprve doslova vzkřísil luxusní koňak Pierre Ferrand (ještě v roce 1989) a aby využil vzácných sudů, kde tento božský mok zrál, rozhodl se, že v nich budou pokračovat rumy. For a more luxurious sipping experience, Plantation XO 20th Anniversary offers a complex and rich taste at a very reasonable price. As I mentioned previously, XO 20th Anniversary also makes a great rum and coke; maybe not what they had in mind, but trust me, it’s fantastic. Tak tuto láhev na polici v obchodě rozpoznáte ihned. Ať už bude ve vysoké pěkné nastajlované krabičce hnědé barvy, nebo bude jen tak samotná. Láhev (0,7 l) je jinak docela masivní a těžká se silným dnem. Při nalévání je to opravdu fajn pocit mít ji v ruce (jen ať vám při tom nepadne na nohu…). Tropical ageing : 8 to 10 years the rums used for XO are chosen for their structure with aromatic characteristics suited for intensive oak aging

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This just shows that they will also sell what sells. As a business, this makes perfect sense. This is really a pretty bland product with a sweet hit to keep the masses happy. Plantation Original Dark showcases toasty oak tannins and burnt Demerara sugar notes with Christmas fruitcake, funky Jamaican fruit, and a spicy crème brûlée aftertaste. Summary The version of the GI MF is fighting for simply looks like they are trying to cash in on the rising reputation and prestige of Barbados rum. (Hugely brought about by Foursquare’s Richard Seale). I can see the concern for duppy’s share (Caribbean equivalent of angel’s share) due to the hot climate but a minimum of only year of aging in Barbados? It’s clearly a selfish angle seeing as they’re the only one among the Barbados rum distilleries that has aging facilities outside of the country (MF’s Châteaux Bonbonnet). It’s reminiscent of the times when the colonists just took resources away from their colonies to make themselves rich. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie. This is my opinion alone… and probably the opinion of many other rum geeks. This is too sweet. This “rum” tastes more like a coconut chocolate flavored liqueur. Drinkers with a sweet tooth may give this a high score but this is really not for me.

It is a very difficult thing to get right," says Alexandre of the dual maturation process, "but when done well, it's paradise. In the Caribbean, Plantation Rums are rare treasures. At Ferrand, they become jewels." For the none rummies, there’s been a year’s worth of raging battle for the Barbados Geographical Indicator (GI). On one side you have Mt. Gay, Foursquare and St. Nicholas Abbey who are fighting for the tradition of Barbadian rum. On the other side, you have Ferrand’s WIRD who is pushing for looser standards.Plantation Rumowns the West Indian Rum Distillery in Barbados plus has shares in the National Rum of Jamaica. The brand can source some excellent rums from Barbados and Jamaica for pairing and blending. Plantation XO 20th Anniversary získal nespočetné množstvo ocenení, medzi najvýznamnejšie však patria: zlatá medaila z International Wine & Spirit Competition 2012, RumXP Gold z Miami Rum Festival a hodnotenie 94/100 na výstave Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2015. Am I being unfair? No, unfortunately for Plantation the more “serious” rum enthusiast – those that want unadulterated spirits are largely unenthused by Plantation’s efforts. Even when they release undosed product. There will still be those who most will recommend the infamously sweet rum from Spanish speaking countries like Diplomatico (Venezuela) or Ron Zacapa (Guatemala). But these are likely those who like sweet drinks and don’t think much of transparency, or don’t care about being lied to by brands via fake age statements and unlabeled dosing of rum.

Now that I’ve introduced you to eight of the best Plantation rums worthy of delighting your taste buds, you can decide what Plantation Rum is best for you!Plantation XO Barbados 20th Anniversary. Aside from Stiggins’ Fancy, this is perhaps Plantation’s most well-known bottling. A Central American molasses rum, Plantation Gran Anejo, is distilled and aged in Guatemala in casks formerly used for American whiskey before being re-casked and further aged in France at Maison Ferrand’s Chateau de Bonbonnet in barrels formerly used for cognac for up to a year. For additional flavour, in France, it is then re-casked to finish ageing from several months to a couple of years in casks formerly used for cognac. Yummy!

This sweet and velvety rum has notes of tropical fruits, orange marmalade and coconut. A smooth finish of vanilla and creamy caramel. Summary The rum I Prefer and gave a 9 to is the shorter, squater bottle without the string/rope mesh around the bottle. These then have post-fermentation and distillation sugar added (a practice the brandy/cognac industry calls dosage). The rum is then aged in oak barrels in France for various lengths of time depending on the style of rum. Conclusion Disappointing. So disappointing and disgusting. I am actually sad I thought very highly of them one time. If this is the future standard of Barbados rum, then I will not buy anymore Barbados rum in the future. Score: 3/10 If Plantation want to be taken seriously – as they indeed should be, as when they aren’t overly dosing their rums they can make some great stuff. They need to ditch mass market crap like this. In fact if I was Alexandre I would release my non dosed more “serious” rum under another banner. One which isn’t tainted the way Plantation is to so many enthusiasts.I personally lean toward Plantation Barbados 5 years for everyday sipping and mixing. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how versatile Plantation 3 Stars is as a white rum. Its time for Bajan rum along with Jamaica and Martinique rums to be recognised as the world standard quality products they are, its a shit fight to get that recognition and people like MF who are making a ton of money from the work of others, whilst pretending to fly the flag of quality are no better than pimps.