Plantation 3 Stars Artisanal

There's a reason this rum stands above all others in its category. Plantation knows what they're doing here, and they're indeed doing it well. A blend of young and aged rums, filtered to remove most—but not all—color, leaving much of the original "character" intact. (In the bottle it's a very light straw color—not completely "white"). The end result is that this rum is far more interesting than most other "white" rums, and it's actually sippable!

There is only the faintest whiff of alcohol on the nose, accompanied by glimpses of flavors more commonly associated with aged rum. On the palate, the rum is sugary and delicious. A fan of dryer rums, I find this one not overly sweet, but it's a close call. Plantation has added minimal sugar (by their standards), though, as always, I don't think it needs it.

In color and flavor I might compare it to 10 Cane (Trinidad, 7-), though I don't currently have a bottle handy, and it costs nearly twice as much per oz. So the 3-Star is the clear winner there.

Of course, it's primary intended use is as a mixer. Here it performs admirably! Falling somewhere between a traditional "white" and "gold/dark" rum in flavor profile, one strapped for bar space could potentially use it as both. But more likely it will be used when "white" rum is called for. As such the results are delicious, though I can't help but think that I'm adding more body or sweetness than the recipe-maker originally intended. Hence, I would recommend stocking a bottle of this, as well as a lighter, dryer offering, such as Flor de Cana 4 Extra Seco (oh, yes, and W&N Overproof, because, seriously).

All in all, pretty solid. An 8 or a 9 against its peers. But it is rather sweet, and I still can't shake the thought that I'm somehow not honoring classic recipes by using it... maybe I'll get over that someday, and adjust my rating accordingly. It truly is a value white rum for people who actually taste what they mix with. We could use more of those!

7+!