Sipping on Luxury: Rum 20th Anniversary Plantation XO Tasting Notes

March 2023

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Tastings

Here are the best rums to drink for any occasion, from white rums for refreshing cocktails to aged rums for contemplative sipping.

Rum 20th Anniversary Plantation XO is one of those distillates that is addictive: it’s a bit pimpy, soft, but warm and enveloping, part persuasive, and then it gives you a spicy punch on the nose. In the mouth, it is very aromatic and spicy, with a fruit that oscillates between citrus fruits and raisins, a splendid symphony that knows how to alternate sharp notes with more mature ones, mottled with ethereal and floral memories.

It is not a rum that wants to focus on purity or territorial adherence; on the contrary, it is very constructed; it is a blend of countless rums from very different vintages, but at the end of the day, the sum of the parts is greater than any single distillate.

But you know well that this rum is the son of Maison Ferrand, which produces rum in Martinique and cognac in Charente, and this distillate comes from the cane of the Caribbean island, then matures in the tropics and finishes refining in France. He’s a globetrotter, but all this attention and care results in an excellent product. The spices are there, but they don’t cover it; the sugar cane is still felt; it’s juicy and sweet, but it never expires in the molasses-like sweetness.

In short, as shaped and studied as it is, this Rum 20th Anniversary Plantation is a good product; it has a contagious drinkability and a complexity that is graceful and never becomes difficult.

Maybe it lacks a tad bit of austerity; it’s all very meaty and sumptuous; however, it’s always aromatic, the cane dominates, and it’s never stylized. You don’t need to spend a lot of time combing the dolls, especially considering the excellent price at which it is sold: 60 euros.

The bouquet

Aromatic nose, full of caramel, mango, and cascading vanilla flowers; cocoa is felt; pepper is as well; sweet spices support ripe and evolved fruit with a light breath where the tropical, cane, and dates dictate the weather. Light aromatic embroidery that flows into a soft oxidation.

The taste

It is warm, broad, and ambitious, but never too dry or arid. The pepper pinches on the back of the tongue, and the herbaceous flavors are felt, but then it closes softly with flowers and a hint of almond. The structure is remarkable but never overbearing; the aging has softened and rounded off the fieryness of the alcohol. Excellent balance, always on point and ready to punch you in the face, but with grace. You hardly feel it, and then you’ve already finished the glass. Excellent aromatic and alcoholic depth; does not act shy.