Plantation Original Dark Rum

Nose: Funky hogo, molasses, brittle toffee, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, a crisp minty note, prune juice, strong black tea, leather books. [The dry-glass aroma is herbal, funky molasses]. Palate: Oily/syrupy in texture, but the arrival flavours are dry and bittersweet (you can taste the cask used for secondary maturation). A lot of sugar sweetness becomes immediately apparent in the development along with pineapple and mango, black coffee and dark chocolate. There’s an anise presence as well. It's warm and slightly spicy, but certainly not hot – you barely notice any alcohol at all until the aftertaste. The sugar sweetness builds over time to the point where it becomes intrusive. Finish: Medium/long. A pleasant combination of dry, spicy and rancio, but with an unwelcome white sugar aftertaste. There was an earlier Original Dark Rum by Plantation that was discontinued in 2015 and replaced by this "Double Aged" version. I’ve made a new listing here for the Double Aged because the mix of reviews for the two versions in the old listing is confusing. This is a very different rum to the earlier one. The earlier version was more fruity and contained rum from Trinidad & Tobago. You'll still see that recipe stated on most liquor website listings for this new version, but it's incorrect. This new one is a dryer, funky combination of young Bajan pot still and column still rum blended together with 10-15 year old Jamaican pot still rum. The two are married in a tun for 3-6 months in France which imparts a subtle cognac oak overtone. There is a great deal of white sugar sweetness across the palate of this rum, which spoils what would otherwise be an excellent bottling. It's unmistakable and obvious if you taste it in comparison to something like Doorly's 12 or any other Foursquare rum. Plantation employs dosage and this signature added sweetness appears in almost all of their rums, to a greater or less extent - here it is particularly noticeable. There is also a funky hogo note to both the nose and palate, and if you’re not into that you will probably hate it, so maybe try a dram before buying a bottle. It's sippable, but is primarily intended as a mixer. It makes a particularly nice Cuba Libre as the hogo note shows through the cola and lends it character, and it also goes well with dry ginger. “Above Average” : 80/100 (3 stars)

An impressive collection of flavours from this budget-friendly rum. As noted by other tasters; this is the updated version. Packaging has been updated to promote the 'double aging' process, though I suspect this was also present in the original; albeit with different source rum and different bourbon/cognac casks. The nose is pineapple dominant, with banana and bitters flowing underneath. Further hunting uncovers an agave-like quality to the fruity-ness. Upon sipping that subtle tequila note disappears - we are definitely in the Caribbean! Although initially the flavours tend to compete with eachother, at its heart this is a sweet rum with woodspice and other notes to keep the more discerning sipper interested. Initial unburnt sugar and banana sweetness gives way to a really pleasant nutmeg and honey blend, with very subtle ash and mint notes. The finish is medium in length, with a slight alcohol burn that could be tamed with a drop or two of water. This is where the anise flavour noted by other tasters was most noticeable for me. Do yourself a favour: exhale a long breath after swallowing this rum, it treats you with a hither to unseen caramel with spice all over again. Cracking good value with plenty to talk about for the price! Don't hesitate.

Nose: Sweet, light brown sugar with sweeter tropical, almost kiwi-like banana, and some hogo overtones right away. Underneath that, some pineapple skin and green crown plus fresh grilled pineapple, sweet bourbon and charred oak, and the faintest hint of sweet brandy or sherry barrel. Some licorice and cardamom comes and goes. Not very vapory, and the hogo grows after it sits in the glass a while and a drop of vanilla and coconut shows up. Palate: More light brown sugar and molasses, and a lot more bourbon barrel character with charred oak and good, black tea-like tannins. Fairly sweet, which builds up when I don't take a long time between sips like I usually do, but not too cloying. The weakest part of the experience, but not bad. Finish: Medium-long and slightly vapory, neutral spirit flavor with more tannins, light fresh-cut oak (with a pinch of nutmeg or anise depending on the sip), faint funky pineapple, and a little mint. Overall, a good aged, sipping rum that also happens to be a budget rum. If I included the smell of the empty glass in the rating, I might bump it up to a 4.25 for the great spicy, barrel, and brown sugar-crusted banana bread muffin aromas.

Hogo, ripe banana, and a hint of paint thinner aroma. Hogo, toffee -- which becomes carmely-funk if kept longer on the tongue, ripe banana, and faint anise flavors. While the hogo is present at both senses it is not overpowering. Being a rum it does have a sweetness but it is not overpowering at all so if you like funky rum that isn't sugary then this would make a great daily sipper. A small ice cube takes the edge off the alcohol burn, gives the hogo a more mellow taste, and removes the paint thinner smell but adds just a little strength to the anise flavor. Rating is based on neat sipping.

Fourth tasting of the evening. 1/2 bottle. Obsessive radish taste! And taste of rubbing alcohol. The taste of aged sweet urine in French oak barrels of cource. The alcoholic burning sensation in taste and aftertaste. Lots of wood and tannic notes. If you do not know in advance, then the taste of cognac is very difficult to feel.

Great for what it is, which is the equivalent of a blended whiskey. You're not going to get the far-out showcasing of exotic trying notes, or any distinguished hogo or terroir. However, think it's this as a finely curated mixture that does what it intends, and does it very well.