Ferrand Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum, 70 cl

Product Information

Overproof spirits are undoubtedly hot, and Plantation O.F.T.D Rum is no exception. You would be advised to keep this away from your nose and avoid holding it for too long on your tongue on diluted – lest you enjoy the burning sensation. However, if you’re careful you can find a rather beautiful rum hiding behind the heat. With the advent or more advanced laboratory techniques, it’s possible to measure the concentration of other volatile elements in addition to Ethyl Acetate, such as higher alcohols like propan-1-ol, butan-1-ol and butan-2-ol. This provides a more comprehensive reading of how much flavor adding components are within the rum. If you really want to geek out on exactly what these are, read this, although it’s far from light reading. Fun fact: The Martinique AOC actually specifies minimal volatile element levels. Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum is our take on that classic style of overproof rums. And not just ours: to join him on the quest to get the blend and the proof just right, Alexandre Gabriel scoured rum joints around the world to find six grizzled old salts who knew which end of a rum bottle was which.

Pôvodne boli všetky rumy destilované v malých bankách. Dnes sa však väčšina rumov destiluje kontinuálne v stĺpcoch. Táto moderná destilačná metóda, ktorú Kuba prvýkrát prijala v 19. storočí, umožňuje rýchlejšiu a plynulejšiu výrobu. Destilácia v kotli je stále dlhšia a ťažko zvládnuteľná, ale stále sa praktizuje na Jamajke, na Barbadose, v Svätej Lucii, na Haiti a v Guyane. Zrenie In this enlightened era of bespoke, high-end distilled spirits, we celebrate the soloist – the carefully nurtured, single estate gems rising to the top of category: Pappy Van Winkle 23 year bourbon, Fuenteseca Reserva 21 year tequila, Appleton 50 year rum, Macallan M Single Malt, and so on. Each represents a high point, a moment in time and the essence of a particular place. A pinnacle of individuality and greatness. Taste: Orange and allspice, clove and baking spices. Coffee hints as well. The finish is powerful – but there’s a lingering aftertaste of toasted dark brown sugar and orange. Like a hint of orange. The Fat Rum Pirate does a fantastic job summing up this rum as a mixing rum and giving some historyO.F.T.D. Rum is Plantations take on the classic style of overproof rums. Alexandre Gabriel scoured rum joints around the world to find six grizzled old salts who knew which end of a rum bottle was which. On the nose of this one there’s plenty of brown sugar and some grilled pineapple, although it’s not particularly punchy—I genuinely think that if you gave this to someone blind and told them that it was simply “aged rum,” they wouldn’t suspect that there had been actual pineapple involved. On the palate I’m getting some roasted cane flavor, and a bit of that “raw” booze I was tasting in the Original Dark, paired with citrus, green apple and a puff of smoke. It honestly seems like a moderately aged rum that could be used in practically any application, rather than doubling down on drinks that already call for pineapple elements. Plantation O.F.T.D. has a wonderful nose of caramel and molasses with notes of jammy orange and a mix of baking spices including cloves, cinnamon, and all-spice. Despite the alcohol, a sip starts relatively smooth. Flavors of raisins, dates, and other preserved fruits mix with molasses, creamy caramel, dark brown sugar. Hints of vanilla, coffee, oak, and orange round it out – and a subtle sweetness go throughout. The ending lingers with a fair amount of heat and subtle sweetness.

Prvá písomná zmienka o existencii rumu pochádza z ostrova Barbados v roku 1647, je však isté, že výroba rumu sa odohrávala na ostrove od začiatku 17. storočia. Vo Francúzsku prichádza uvedenie rumu neskôr a to v roku 1694. Rum sa v tom čase považoval za liek. Priemerná kvalita a lacná produkcia znamenali, že rum sa prvotne konzumoval medzi otrokmi na plantáží (brandy a sherry sa považovali za príliš drahé, takže tie boli vyhradené pre osadníkov). Rum sa tiež stáva nápojom námorníkov a pirátov. Skutočný pokrok v destilačných technikách ešte neprišiel a dovtedy rum zostával len pre miestnych. Začiatkom osemnásteho storočia sa však rum šíri cez oceán do Európy a Severnej Ameriky. Rumové odrodyEssentially the extra-aged version of the company’s flagship Barbados 5 Year Rum, Plantation XO was unsurprisingly created for the brand’s 20th anniversary, but is a regular part of the rotation and the most “premium” of the standard Plantation brands. This one is significantly older on average, being a blend of column and pot still Barbados rums aged tropically for 8-15 years, before spending at least 2 and as many as 10 years in secondary maturation in France before final blending. Plantation notes that the French aging takes place in “many different types of casks, ranging from new white oak to bourbon casks, as well as Ferrand casks, each with different level of toasting.” Complexity is no doubt what they’re shooting for, though one wishes that such a product would have been released at a strength above 80 proof. This one also has moderate dosage. The label tasting notes say: “It bursts with caramel cream, chocolate, and vanilla notes. It continues on with cinnamon, raisins, nutmeg, oak, and molasses with smoky accents.” Plantation O.F.T.D will be used predominantly in the Tiki Culture and it will top things such as Zombies and be used in Mai Tai’s etc. It is a big rich rum which is meant to be drank in small quantities. Adding a little muscle to tropical drinks. I am confident that this will take some beating in such combinations. Honestly I'm not really into overproof rums. I've tried several and most of them are like extremely potent hot sauces (something else of which I am a connoisseur)...all burn and little to no flavor. Cask type/Age: ex-Bourbon, ex-Cognac casks, 2008 distillation. 7 years in ex-bourbon, then 1.5 years minimum in ex-cognac casks

Whether you enjoy sipping on an overproof rum, dilute it with water or another rum, this is definitely worth trying. Up next is the tasting. The rum when sipped at 69% ABV Is simply too “hot” to appreciate. It genuinely burns the tongue and makes the entire experience simply too much to gain any appreciation of the rum. If you have a hydrometer you may wish to use it to bring the rum down using water to a more acceptable ABV. When first poured the rum smells unsurprisingly heavily of alcohol. There are definite fumes when you pour. However, it is advised to allow the rich mahogany coloured rum to settle in the glass a few minutes before nosing. A pot stilled, lightly aged rum at 150 proof invites obvious comparison to the venerable Lemon Hart 151, a mainstay of the Tiki canon. However, the French oak aging, some of it in ex-Cognac, suggests a different flavor profile. The rum is described as “quite heavy rum, focused on body strength, alcohol and chocolate notes, thanks to higher alcohol level.”Cukrová trstina sa zberá ručne alebo strojom a potom sa, čo najskôr rozreže, rozdrví, aby sa minimalizovala degradácia cukrov obsiahnutých v trstine. Po rozomletí trstiny sa šťava extrahuje a pripravuje na kvasenie, výsledkom procesu premeny cukru na alkohol je vzniknutý kvas. Tento kvas sa následne niekoľkokrát zahrieva, aby sa extrahoval rovnaký podiel cukru a melasy pre tradičný rum. Fermentácia Taste: Obviously warm – but also extremely smooth. Raisins and dates and other preserved fruits play with molasses, creamy caramel, and dark brown sugar. Hints of mellow oak and vanilla come through as well. The ending is full of dark sugar, toasted oak, spice, and caramel. Plantation O.F.T.D is another trip into history from the French producers. Following on from the Stiggins’ Fancy Pineapple rum, O.F.T.D. which stands for Old Fashioned Traditional Dark is another attempt at recapturing the rum glories of old. Ein handwerklich perfekt gemachter Rum, ist bei diesem "Blender Team" auch nicht anders zu erwarten.

Update, March 2021: Plantation tells me that the current blend no longer contains Foursquare rums in it. Also, Mr. Seale disputes that 13-year aged Foursquare was used in the original O.F.T.D. blend. I have left the original component description provided to me for historical context below] Echoing the “no dosage” message is Martin Cate, who’s measured the actual ABV with his fancy Anton Parr hydrometer. His measured ABV is effectively identical to the labeled ABV, which is generally taken to mean that there’s essentially no sugar present, assuming the label ABV is accurate. Nose: Coffee and orange – dark spice blend can’t tell if it’s cinnamon, all-spice, cloves – Not quite molasses but a darkened caramel. A candied pecan nuttiness, but not sweet. Ester levels” and “volatile elements” are both crude measurement of the intensity of a rum’s flavor. They are not the same however. Traditionally, Jamaican rums cite ester levels, which are a measurement of just the esters without regards to other volatile elements. For the most part, this means measuring Ethyl Acetate. This particular compound is usually found in much higher quantity than other esters. (You can learn more about esters and flavor here.Took me a few sips to get some of a flavor profile because in each sip, once the taste buds detected something, my throat and tongue got a sound thrashing from the 69% ABV (138 proof).