Planteray Xaymaca Special Dry Rum

43% ABV

100% Pot Distilled Jamaican Rum from the Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries. Both spirits are made from molasses and see a relatively long fermentation of 1 and 3 weeks respectively. Clarendon uses a Vendome copper pot still while Long Pond has a John Dory still. Both spirits are aged tropically in ex-Bourbon casks and then are blended at Maison Ferrand (the parent company of Plantation Rum) in Javrezac, France. This is the area where Cognac is made, a much cooler and milder climate, where the Rum was aged for an additional period of time in 350 liter ex-Ferrand Cognac casks. It is bottled with no added dosage of sugar or caramel color. 

This is a Rum that would be a lovely introduction to Jamaican Rum for the uninitiated while also appealing to funk lovers. It has the characteristic pot still "hogo" funk that Jamaica in known for, but in a restrained expression. It has lovely tropical fruit aromas and flavors of banana, pineapple, as well as cherry, and an elegance and dryness on the palate. Totally approachable but with more than enough flavor and intrigue to satisfy lovers of Smith & Cross, Wray & Nephew, or any of the other benchmark Jamaican Rums.

About Plantation/Planteray:

Plantation/Planteray* is a Rum blender and bottler based in Cognac, France who also own the West Indies Rum Distillery in Barbados. They work with Rum distilleries throughout the Caribbean and beyond. They utilize the practice of Double Aging, whereby the spirits are tropically aged at the site where they are distilled before being shipped to their facility in Cognac, France for further continental aging in French oak casks.

Planteray are occasionally maligned (unfairly we would argue) due to their frequent use of “dosage”, adding sugar and caramel color to their Rum. While we also prefer our Rum “raw” and without any added sweeteners or colors, we acknowledge that there is a long history of this practice amongst producers the world over. What we love about Planteray is that they are fully transparent about the provenance, aging, and exactly what and how much is added to their spirits.

*The company changed their name to Planteray in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder due to the word Plantation having an unsavory connotation with slavery. This expression was bottled prior to the name change.