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

Product Information

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.” 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 I really like the O.F.T.D. in rum and cola’s. It is similar in many ways to Pusser’s. It’s quite sweet but at the same time has quite a lot of “oommph” to it. Which I think is what you want in a rum and cola – especially on a cold night. 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. O.F.T.D. officially stands for Old Fashioned Traditional Dark but if you ask any of the seven collaborators who were in the room when this blend was born, they’ll tell you it really stands for something else that was exclaimed when the winning rum was tasted…

Cask type/Age: ex-Bourbon, ex-Cognac casks, 2008 distillation. 7 years in ex-bourbon, then 1.5 years minimum in ex-cognac casks 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] Whether you enjoy sipping on an overproof rum, dilute it with water or another rum, this is definitely worth trying. 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.

― THE SPECIAL EDITIONS ―

O.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. 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). It’s perhaps unsurprising, then, that the casual rum drinker and the serious rum geek often have wildly differing reactions and estimation of a company like Plantation Rum. This is a complex topic; one that takes into account ownership, secondary finishing practices, legal lobbying and transparency in labeling. Suffice to say, the Plantation brand has long been something of a lightning rod for discussion among rum devotees. 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. 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.

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. It is tough to make a great overproof rum, but our friends at Plantation have done quite a good job of it. Let us honor their hard work of delving through hundreds of samples and historic reference points by taking a hearty pull from the OFTD flagon, no?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 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. 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. While the O.F.T.D. label says it’s a blend of Barbados, Jamaica, and Guyanese rums, Plantation internally breaks these up into four categories: Barbados Rum So what has all the fuss been about? Well firstly I don’t think the intention of this rum was ever as a sipper. I’ve no idea how old the blend in this rum is but I’d be very surprised if overall the blend is over 5 years old.