Plantation Guatemala XO Single Cask Amburana Finish

Having had a couple of beers with amburana, I was fascinated by the concept of a rum aged (well finished anyway) in same. It's really smooth especially for 50%, touch of burnt sugar, vanilla, and of course the amburana which is sweet and spicy all in one, giving hints of tonka, cinnamon, coconut, black pepper. Slight afterburn on the very edge of the tongue.

Having a second taste this is so good. Full of island spices on the nose nice smooth medium lingering finish light to medium golden hue. Every Plantation is unique but if you have a chance to try or collect a rare single cask selection I highly recommend it. Will be hard to put this away into the collection, maybe just one more sip.

So smooth, and with multiple layers of flavor. Vanilla and butterscotch, a subtle tobacco note, with a sweet profile, but not too much so as to overwhelm. Reminds me of a complex Agricole. So tasty...

Aroma is nice with coconut. Taste is strong but not burning with heavy coconut, chocolate and a bit of cinamon. Aftertaste is long again with coconut. This rum is like aromatic spiced type mixed with high voltage without added sugar.

I’m Noticing a Pattern In Plantation’s Single Cask XO series...spice, lots of it. Very similar to their Barbados XO, but not as sweet. This is why I rate this bottle slightly higher. Light vanilla & molasses with alcohol on the nose. Smooth spiciness across the tongue, finishing with more vanilla across the palate. I’m glad I special ordered it.

Neupřesněných několik let zrání v sudech po bourbonu, 1 rok ve Francii v sudu po koňaku Ferrand a následně ještě půl roku v sudu z jihoamerického tvrdého dřeva Amburana.
Alkohol: 50 %
Původ: Guatemala/Francie
Aroma: Příjemná, svěží vůně. Vanilka, med, květový nektar, uhlazené dřevo, šťavnatá ovocnost, perník, čerstvé hobliny, skořice, pečený banán, hruškový kompot. (88 b)
Chuť: Na jazyku působí zprvu medově sladce, šťavnatě ovocně, ale brzy přechází do suchosti. Vanilka, čerstvé dřevo, hobliny. (86 b)
Body: 87
Shrnutí: Další fajn kousek, bohužel ale ve vůni barvitější a zajímavější, než v chuti.

Nose: Eggnog, cinnamon, nutmeg, tapioca pudding
Palate: fresh white oak, tapioca pudding, apples, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet despite minimal dosage
Aftertaste: Eggnog, cinnamon, literal vanilla extract, cinnamon throat tingle sensation

I have been longing to try an Amburana aged rum for quite a while now. When I read the reviews for this rum, it sounded delightful and something that I absolutely had to try. It took me almost a year to track down a shop that had it in stock and would ship it to me. This is a Guatemalan Single Cask rum that has been aged for several years in bourbon oak, then 1 year in French Oak in France, and then finished for 6 months in Amburana wood and bottled at 50% ABV. Per Plantation website this rum is very lightly dosed at 8gpL (3gpL more than might occur naturally under certain conditions). Amburana is a tropical wood found in Central and South America. I had read that it imparts a delightful cinnamon note to spirits aged in it, and not to spoil, but I found that to be true. Buts that's not all. No that's not all. This rum is quite delightful and I keep waffling on whether to rate it an 8 or a 9. But before I get to the final rating let's let the process play out because this is an interesting rum with some unusual characteristics

First of all, straight up, if what you want is eggnog and cinnamon and you want it now, there is where you can get that fix. On the nose I get strong eggnog loud and clear, almost like I stuck my face down near the eggnog punch bowl on Christmas. Hidden behind the Egg Nog I smell cinnamon, nutmeg, and delightful notes of tapioca pudding. All in all quite a pleasant and aromatically intense combination even if it is not overly complex.

Taking a sip is where things start to get interesting. It starts with raw white oak, not the long aged kind but the younger Tennessee whiskey sour kind. That appears for a second before turning into a mouthful of tapioca pudding with strong individually noticeable notes of apples, cinnamon and vanilla. This being 50% ABV it does kick a bit, but that's not the only physical sensation. In addition to the burn you get a tingly sensation in the throat like you just swallowed a tiny spoonful cinnamon powder directly out of the jar. The entire combination on the palate comes across as very sweet and decadent even though the rum is only very minimally dosed and packs a punch.

On the finish the eggnog reappears accompanied by cinnamon and vanilla extract (literally...vanilla and strong bitter notes in its entirety). After walking away rom the glass my throat tingles and little bit and simultaneously my mouth feels refreshed. Its a very interesting experience, that I highly recommend. So why not a 10 or a high 9? Because at times the vanilla extract and bitter notes sometimes dominate the expression to an extent that I don't like quite as much. Its still an absolutely wonderful rum but those notes do dampen the experience a little. Also I have never been a huge fan of fresh white oak (which is why I don't like bourbon as much) which appears prominently on the palate.

All in all this is a great and novel experience, but otherworldly to the extent that I feel like I have to order a case of it. The notes on this are so unique that it would probably make an otherworldly Cuba Libre but I am not sure what else you could mix it in...and besides it is meant to be sipped and it serves that purpose quite well.

Country of Origin: Guatemala (later partially aged in France)
ABV: 50%

Nose: 10
Palate: 9
Finish: 8
Smoothness: 8
Versatility: 7
Price: 8

Total: 8.3

Plantation did it again another good rum. Its a very woody nutty taste with spice.

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A spicy but smooth rum with a little burn. First sip; "What?", second; "Yeah, keep it coming."