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

Product Information

One of the few Plantation rums with an age statement on the label, this might be considered the flagship of Plantation’s “signature blends” lineup, and is one of the brands they’ve been offering longest. The five year age statement is nice, if not particularly impressive—it makes this a “moderately aged” rum. It’s important to note that 3-4 years of that time is tropical aging in Barbados, and the remaining 1-2 years is aging in France in “Ferrand casks” previously used to mature cognac. That’s a significant period, which makes this ultimately a product substantially different than simply a Bajan rum—there’s also the moderate dosage to consider as well. Products like this are at the heart of the dispute between Maison Ferrand and the other Barbados distilleries.

Which could perhaps be construed as a criticism. It isn’t. I have argued on numerous occassions about rums being viewed as sipping rums and mixing rums. Many feel that a “mixing” rum is an inferior product. It’s not I genuinely believe that some younger rums such as Myers’s, Woods 100 and Appleton’s Signature Blend (V/X) simply work much better as mixers than they do sippers. I do not think this makes them bad in anyway and it is not a slight against them. Whether you enjoy sipping on an overproof rum, dilute it with water or another rum, this is definitely worth trying.Transformácia cukru na alkohol je vyvolaná pôsobením kvasiniek. Fermentácia môže trvať od niekoľkých hodín (v prípade ľahkých rumov) po niekoľko dní (v prípade zložitejších rumov) až po niekoľko týždňov. As is expected of Plantation rums this is presented beautifully. It has been given a more distinctive appearance than the standard island bottlings from the normal Plantation range. Unlike most Plantation rums there is no added sugar. Alongside the sweetness you get a good dose of Jamaican funk. Slightly rough and ready adding a good layer of complexity. Coffee and cocoa are also present. It reminds me in many ways of both Myers’s and Wood’s 100.

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. 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. 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 Essentially 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.

On Its Own

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 odrody Together they came up with this blend of Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados rums, bottled at 69 percent alcohol. Low ester levels in Jamaican rum, from say 0 to 50 g/hL AA, are associated with lightly flavored rums. For comparison’s sake, the ester levels of most vodkas are close to 0 g/hL AA. Smith & Cross Jamaican rum, well known for its funkiness, has an ester level of around 200 g/hL AA. Rum Fire Overproof from Hampden Estate is around 500 g/hL AA. The maximum ester count that Jamaican law allows for export is 1600 g/hL AA. From firsthand experience, rums at that ester level are essentially undrinkable after a few sips. Fast forward nearly two years to the very same room where the group had deliberated that December. Mrs. Wonk and I are preparing to run the gauntlet, tasting all nine high-proof rums. Several are ultra-high ester rums, doubling down on their palate-destroying power. To anybody but a hardcore rum geek, this might seem terrifying. For me, these are the sort of moments that make rum writing worth all the effort.

Maison Ferrand Owner and Master Distiller, Alexandre Gabriel works closely with distilleries across the Caribbean and America's crafting rums, they are left to age in warm Caribbean cellars for the initial part of their life. During the secondary process, the rums are exported to Cognac where they undergo a series of age old Cognac making techniques. This centuries old application is known by the French as 'elevage' and the process used is unique to Plantation. Vibrant, full flavoured Caribbean rums, finished with French finesse. In Plantation’s case, though, Original Dark feels like it was named less to take advantage of the category’s loose restrictions, and more to simply fill a gap that consumers expected. There’s no unaged rum in this blend, and the company claims its use of caramel coloring is “solely to adjust—if needed—the color between different batches.” This one is a blend of 1-3 year old column and pot still Barbados rum, and (presumably a smaller quantity) of 10-15 year old Jamaican rum, which are “blended into a wooden vat to age for 3-6 months in the southwest of France.” This is the standard Plantation playbook, as rums are moved from tropical aging to blending and secondary aging in France, often in cognac barrels. For Christmas last year, I got Ann Marie a copy of Smuggler’s Cove’s book and our rum collection hasn’t been the same since. The book is a fantastic overview of tiki, talking through the history, providing recipes, and more importantly a list of rums to make the recipes. The list of rums is broken down into categories, typically referring to the base material used (molasses or sugar cane), the form of distillation (column or pot still), and the age (lightly aged, moderately aged, long aged, etc). In addition to these categories, there’s also recommended overproof rums – including Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum On Its OwnPlantation have also once again collaborated with the spirits industry to produce this rum. During the production of this rum Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, Martin Cate, two Paul’s McFadyen and McGee, Scotty Schuder and rum historian Dave Wondrich helped on advising on the final blend. As was the case for the Lemon Hart 151 rum, I sampled the Plantation Overproof O.F.T.D. Rum straight and found it too strong to enjoy as a sipper. Once again, I diluted this rum in equal parts with 40% rum (Newfoundland Screech) lowering the ABV to an acceptable 55.5% and the result is absolutely amazing. This blend, in my humble opinion is as good, if not better than the Lemon Hart 151 blend. The Jamaican funky taste (which I did not enjoy in he Appleton rums) blends well with the Bajan and Trinidad rums that also form part of this delicious rum. Why is there no dosage in the OFTD? With respect, you may well have asked why is the Jamaican rum there? Or why we selected the level of caramel for bitterness, or that particular ABV? Every rum is the product of hundreds of decisions dictated by the question: Does it enhance the rum?” On the palate, oh yes, the 69% is an excellent flavor carrier, fiery caramel, fiery vanilla, fiery chocolate, fiery fruits. Very powerful yet pleasant. 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.