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Posted
7 months ago
I know Plantation is a bit of a controversial brand among rum aficionados, but this is genuinely a very nice offering from them. Oaky and fruity, it's unmistakably Jamaican while also being pleasantly smooth and refined. It's no hogo bomb like Smith & Cross, but there's definitely a bit of funk going on, certainly more so than Appleton Signature. This makes it very accessible and a great introduction to Jamaican rums for someone looking to move beyond Bacardi and Captain Morgan and explore the wider world of rum. Overall it's a very pleasant rum at a very attractive price point that works nicely as either a sipper or in a cocktail and I would definitely recommend picking up a bottle and trying it out if you haven't already.
Posted
7 months ago
Love the look of these string bottles. There is only a little of the Jamaican funk in the aroma. There is some industrial darkness in the aroma as well. I get lots of alcohol burn in the flavor at first but it mellows out quickly. This certainly is dry. Not the best rum for sipping on its own. Flavor: 6 Aroma 7,5 Bottle appearance: 10 Liquir appearance: 9,5
Posted
1 year ago
Dry rum with no hint of sweetness. Typical jamaican funkiness with notes of banana, raisin, and a hint of oak.
Posted
over 1 year ago
Light yellow in color. On the nose is very complex notes of oak, herbs, strong alcohol with bitter orange and a whiff of vanilla. Palate gives very sharp sting with alcohol and spices. Right after it gives a nice rush of again complex vary of floral notes and grounded nuts, exotic dry fruits too. Some distinct parfumy aroma lingers. Usually I like more sweet rums, but this still has great experience to offer.
Posted
almost 2 years ago
A very special smelling expression from Plantation, but I found it dull and uninspired on the palate.
Posted
almost 2 years ago
If there was ever a rum to confirm my dislike of Jamaican rum, this is it. If plantation cant a good rum out of Jamaica then I doubt anyone can. Smells bearable with that characteristic vegetative and acetone smell of jamaican rums but then just tastes of banana leaf. Save your money, and dont even buy as a mixer.
Posted
almost 3 years ago
I really like the Plantation rums family. Slightly sweet, pleasant aroma. Perfect for sipping.
Posted
3 years ago
Hèhè, eindelijk weer een spelletjesavond en rum met vriendjes. Begonnen met een oude zachte bekende, en daarna een glas van deze ingeschonken. Hij ruikt best scherp, en zo blijkt hij ook te smaken. Na een poosje is de nasmaak wel ok, maar deze fles wordt niet nog een keer gekocht.
Smell of jungle, paint and tropic fruit. Diverse and funny for explore.
Not as expressive like some other Jamaican stuffs, but good example of that style.
Medium body, dry, feeling of sweetness from natural fruity character, some tannins...
Very good price quality. You can drink it neat, with coke, in cocktails...
Versatile rum for a good price.
Posted
over 3 years ago
deschizi dopul ... POOOP .. si un miros dulceag si vanilat umple pur si simplu incaperea )) miraculos, te chiama cu cantec de iele , sau de sirene; iti apropii narile nerabdator de pahar si .. hei, ceva e ciudat acolo, dar esti prea prins in mreje, avertismentul e prea vag sa te mai poata opri..
il degusti si simti cumva la fel , o inbiere din ce in ce mai ciudata, vanilie si ceva contimente parca, in mod sigur fructat (ananas?) , si cum inghiti.. poccc arsura si un gust astringent parca, zici ca i ceva putrezit acolo )) si totusi se inbina atat de bine, abia asta e ciudatenia )) in mod sigur te face sa ti doresti sa gusti si alte romuri jamaicane ) appletonul 12 din colectia mea cred ca a stat prea mult timp sigilat , i s a scris sentinta ))
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A fantastic little Jamaican, and a positive step for Plantation
8
/10
out of 10
What it is:
A blend of Jamaican pot still rums from Clarendon and Long Pond (muck pits!). Most of the marques are the result of a 1-week fermentation period and less than a year of tropical aging, though there is some amount of high-ester distillate from a 3-week fermentation that was blessed with 3–8 years of tropical aging, depending on who you ask (Plantation says 3, CocktailWonk says 8. CW also lists an additional 2-week-fermentation marque, but the bottle label omits this). There may also be a drop of 17-year-old Long Pond in there, for marketing purposes ;). All of these were blended together before the inevitable 1–2 years aging in Cognac casks in France, however, WITHOUT any dosage (joining OFTD as the only other un-sugared, mass-produced Plantation bottling). Bottled at 43% ABV.
Flavor profile:
Kind of a Hampden-y nose. Unmistakably Jamaican, of the fruity variety, led by cherry and pineapple. Some banana. Like a Hampden lite (and hey, even Hampden can make "lighter" marques). It's plenty funky... more so than I was expecting, given some early reviews (see below). Not my favorite flavor profile (cherry), but I quite like it. Despite the lack of dosage, it still has some of that trademark Plantation "sparkle" on the finish, which I attribute to the Cognac aging.
My take:
This release has been subject to much debate since its announcement and release. I believe this is largely due to two factors:
1) interpreting the brand messaging of "100% Jamaican pot still" as "we're unleashing a hogo bomb that will put S&C and Rum Fire to shame," and
2) a rum nerd environment that's often very critical of Plantation (and often rightly so, I might add) and who are hungry for any excuse to decry the brand's endeavors.
So, if you're already not a fan of Plantation, and you're looking for more reasons to justify that position, this new release is an easy target: "It's not as hogolicious as X, therefore it is a disgrace to Jamaican rum."
I see several problems with this.
- If your preconceived expectation is your only benchmark, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Let's at least temper, or broaden our expectations, a little bit, with the following...
- Brands, like people, are generally not all good or bad, but some combination of successes and failures; ill will and good; ignorance and prudence. Plantation's had some faux pas (and continues to tamper with most of their rums in ways I'm not a fan of), and some strokes of genius (OFTD, anyone?). But even their faux pas, to some, are strokes of genius for others. Their 20th anniversary could be your exemplar of adulteration gone amok—perfectly good aged distillate, ruined—or your most coveted bottle. Which brings me to my next point:
- Target market. Plantation has always striven for mass appeal, especially in their Signature Blends and Bar Classics, which represent some of the absolute best values in rum today. Even their Vintage and Single Cask releases are sweetened and watered down to appeal to a cognac-drinker's palate, with only OFTD and the Extrêmes (if you're fortunate enough to find them) offering a pure, cask-strength, hardcore rum experience. Plantation is for the masses, as they're probably not keen to bottle up the equivalent to DOK and unleash it on someone whose only exposure to Plantation is Stiggin's Fancy. It was never Plantation's intention for this to be a top-shelf sipper that would take dunderheads to Nirvana; rather this is a workhorse rum that is ready to be mixed or sipped affordably. Speaking of which...
- Price point/competition. In the US, you can grab a bottle for about the same price as Myers's, Coruba, or Appleton. Let's review the specs... 100% Jamaican pot-still rum, with Plummer-level esters, bottled at 43% without sugar. That's insanely competitive. Show me a bottle that gives you more flavor for less money (Golden Devil Dark Overproof comes to mind, but that's an outlier, and is sold out as of this writing). W&N White Overproof, certainly, is widely available, but lacks any aging and isn't well suited to most classic cocktail recipes (it's also a blend of pot and column, if that matters to you). Hamilton isn't much more costly (also 46% ABV), but that one too is unaged, and a rather different flavor profile (which I love, btw). Smith & Cross is about 1.5x more expensive with only 1.3x the ABV, and some Wadderburn-level distillate, but no age statement, marques, or even distilleries (not necessarily a point against, just a comparison). (See the CocktailWonk link below for a taste comparison at similar strengths.) But it sure kicks the pants off Myers's, Coruba and Appleton Special. So, this is really a very good value. If you want something with more funk, more aging, more ABV, well, it's probably going to cost you (which, if you’re like me, you're fine with that, but I would refer back to my previous point about the target market for this bottling). Yesterday, Xaymaca didn't exist, and today this quality rum it's widely available to just about anyone. Tomorrow, who knows? So, in my opinion...
- This bottle represents a positive direction for Plantation as a brand, and I believe that we the rum community should be applauding this step. Again... 100% pot still, Velier-level transparency, pungent flavor, no dosage? A "bridge" funky rum for novitiates that is priced well and mixes beautifully? Yes, please! Wouldn't you like to see them do more in this vein? Like an un-dosed Barbados 5 or 20th Anniversary? Maybe even a Xaymaca Ultimate with 300+ g/hLAA at 57% ABV? Help them keep the momentum going :)
Conclusion:
I believe Xaymaca should be judged on its own merits, and against peers in its price-point. This rum wasn't made to unseat the venerable S&C, but it sure as heck beats Appleton, Myers's, and Coruba (not to mention giving Rum-Bar Gold a run for its money). Set your expectations accordingly. It's got enough funk to draw you in on the nose and make itself known as Jamaican, and delivers lots of great flavor on the palate, without any nasty sugar. Mix it, sip it, and if you really like it, seek out the funk-bombs from Hampden and elsewhere.
Is it my new Jamaican mixer of choice? No (due only to my personal flavor preferences). Would I be perfectly happy with it if it were my only choice? Yes. Will I be recommending it to people getting started on their rum journey? Absolutely.
Enjoy!
8-
Further reading:
https://www.plantationrum.com/plantation-xaymaca
https://cocktailwonk.com/2018/05/xaymaca-deeply-deconstructed.html