Plantation Rum Panama 2010 One-Time Limited Edition

51.4% ABV

This Rum was distilled in 2010 at the Don Jose Distillery, deep in the jungles of Panama, a full days trek from the nearest city. The distillery sits on the site of Panama’s first ever sugar mill dating to 1908 with the distillery opening in 1936. Today it is run by the third generation of the Varelo family and is perhaps best known for their house brand, Ron Abuelo. This Rum was made from molasses and fermented with their house cultured yeast for 2 days prior to column distillation. The 22 barrel batch was aged in ex-bourbon casks in the humid jungle climate of the distillery for 8 years. It was then shipped to 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 5 years in 350 liter ex-Ferrand Cognac casks.

It was bottled without any additives or sweeteners at a robust 51.4% ABV and was not chill filtered. It is fragrant, with fresh and fruity aromas of stone fruit, baking spices, coconut and honey. The fresh fruitiness follows through on the palate with the addition of coffee and pepper notes and a creamy mouthfeel. It finishes with a complex spice character and a drying leathery/woody note. A really lovely sipper that is surprisingly fresh and bright for a rum that aged for so long in a hot and humid climate.

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.