Planteray (Plantation) Experience Box 6x100ml

Volume: 0.6 litres | Alcohol content: 41.03% | Chill filtration: Yes | Colouring: Yes

Special Features:

The Experience Box lets you compare different rum styles directly. It contains 0.1 litres each of 3 Stars White Rum at 41.2%, Original Dark at 40%, Grande Réserve at 40%, Guatemala & Belize Gran Añejo at 42%, Xaymaca Special Dry at 43% and XO 20th Anniversary at 40%. The six bottles hold a total of 0.6 litres. The gift box has a vintage-style design featuring parrots, maps and postage stamps.

The differences begin with origin and distillation. The white 3 Stars brings together rum from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad. Original Dark combines pot- and column-still rums from Barbados with Jamaican pot-still rum. Grande Réserve comes from Barbados, while Gran Añejo brings together Guatemala and Belize. Xaymaca Special Dry consists exclusively of Jamaican pot-still rums from the Long Pond and Clarendon distilleries. Its bold notes of overripe banana and flambéed pineapple express the Jamaican character known as rum funk; a subtle smoky note complements its dry, floral and fruity side.

Cask maturation offers further points of comparison. Gran Añejo first matures in ex-bourbon casks, then in former Ferrand casks in south-western France. Plums, dried fruit and a restrained oak note shape this blend. Xaymaca also undergoes maturation in bourbon and Ferrand casks, but receives no added sugar. XO 20th Anniversary, made exclusively from Barbados rum, was created to mark Alexandre Gabriel’s 20th anniversary as Master Blender. It combines a smooth, full-bodied texture with coconut, vanilla and dark chocolate.

Tasting Notes:

• Nose: Original Dark reveals toasted to lightly charred oak, alongside cherry, banana, coconut, vanilla and clove. A pronounced fruity funk accompanies these aromas. XO 20th Anniversary has intense aromas of ripe banana, coconut and vanilla. Candied fruit and delicate oak spice complete the bouquet.
• Palate: In Original Dark, the sweetness of deeply caramelised Demerara sugar meets dry, toasted oak tannins. Well-browned fruitcake, cinnamon and clove lend the palate a spicy dimension. XO 20th Anniversary is smooth and full-bodied. Caramel and dark chocolate combine with tropical fruit, toasted coconut and vanilla.
• Finish: Original Dark leaves a long finish of spiced crème brûlée. The long, rounded finish of XO 20th Anniversary combines sweet spice notes with a subtle woody character.

Distillery/Bottler:

Planteray is Maison Ferrand’s rum range and was previously called Plantation. Founder and Master Blender Alexandre Gabriel works with different regions of origin, fermentation methods and stills. For its Barbados rums, the team at Stade’s West Indies Rum Distillery cultivates its own yeast strains, including locally occurring yeasts. Pot stills produce spirits in batches, while column stills allow continuous distillation. These different base rums give the team flexibility when composing its blends.

Double ageing is a central focus of the brand: for rums matured in this way, ageing in the country of origin is followed by a second phase in former Ferrand casks made of French oak. The rums travel by sea to south-western France for this stage. Planteray thus draws on the historical practice of further ageing and blending rum after its arrival in Europe. The cooler continental climate provides a different maturation environment from the tropical regions of origin.

Facts: