Plantation 2007 Jamaica Single Cask Sauternes Finish

Aroma is light and mild. Taste is sweet with honey, pear, apricot and exotic fruits. You would not guess that this rum comes from Jamaica. Aftertaste is long and pleasant.

Cask 05 Bottle 71

A blend of Long Pond and Clarendon, bottled in 2020 with zero dosage. On the nose there is mild funk, then a fabulous mix of aromas including church incense, molasses, play dough, marzipan and ginger, all of which integrate beautifully with the refined oak. The palate starts with some sweetness which must be attributed to the Sauternes finishing given there is no added sugar. On a backbone of oak it then moves through flavours of black currant, dried cherry, and vanilla before exiting with a touch of sultana on the finish. This is great stuff!

This rum would be perfect for someone wanting to get into Jamaican rum. The nose is fruity and funky but those flavors don’t really come through on the palate. It’s much more subtle with a very light fruit flavor that finishes with a slightly sweet flavor with some a spiciness. It came through a little subdued to me but I truly like a bold and funky Jamaican rum so I think that’s just a me thing. All in all I can appreciate the quality here but it just isn’t for me.

This is a blend of a Long Pond pot still rum distilled in 2007 and aged 11 years in Jamaica in ex-bourbon casks and then aged 1.5 years continentally in ex-cognac casks in France and a Clarendon pot still rum aged 11.5 years in Jamaica in ex-bourbons casks and then 1 year in Cognac casks in France. The blend was then bottled at 46.8 percent and unlike most Plantation rums, contains no additives. The odd thing about it is that the bottle proclaims that it is a “Single Cask” …but um, yeah that’s impossible given that the label distinctly lists the different aging for the two different rums in different casks in multiple countries. I would love an explanation on how they can claim that this is a Single Cask expression while simultaneously claiming that both expressions constituting the blend were aged separately in cognac casks after being aged in ex-bourbon casks. (Seriously, just take “Single Cask” off the bottle. It’s obviously not a single cask expression). My labeling gripes aside, to the rum…

Wafting from the Glencairn I get Green Apple Jolly Ranchers, Raspberry Jam, Modelers Glue, and Apple Moonshine. Further nosing reveals Papaya and a faint Guava paste note in the background. It’s all fairly pleasant but doesn’t knock my socks off.

The palate here is much more simple than the nose would suggest. Taking a sip I get an initial rush of Irish whiskey followed by light Apple Jolly Ranchers and waxy Yellow Moonpie (I probably just dated myself there). There is a faint Musty Bookshelf note going on in the background.

The finish is almost non-existent. I guess if I search long enough I get a flat sparkling mineral water taste. After a while I get a note akin to drinking water out of an old rusty spring tap. But there is nothing that stands out or really lingers. The lack of nuanced finish is quite surprising for a Long Pond Clarendon distillate aged over 11 years.

This is actually not a bad rum to sip on at all. It has some character and a bit of nuance and it is balanced quite nicely. But it’s not going to blow your socks off or really stand out against other aged Jamaican funk offerings. But it is tasty enough on its own even if it isn’t what I would call spectacular.

Unfortunately, for me it also doesn’t quite have the character I was seeking for the fruity/rock candy/floral side of my Mai Tais. I was hoping for something a bit punchier and more pungently floral than this to mix with aged Worthy Park or Hampden in my Mai Tais. The Long Pond seems to stand out more here, but it is also muted.

This seems like it would be a good rum to break out to introduce someone new to rum to Jamaican funk. It does have some funk but it is also smoothed out and nicely balanced. It’s like the next step up from Appleton 12 without doing the high dive into the higher ester Worthy Park or Hampden bottlings.

ABV: 46.8%

Country of Origin: Jamaica

Distilleries: Clarendon and Long Pond

Nose: Green Apple Jolly Ranchers, Raspberry Jam, Apple Moonshine, Modelers Glue, Papaya, faint Guava paste

Palate: Irish Whiskey, Apple Jolly Ranchers, Yellow Moonpie, Musty Bookshelf

Finish: Sparkling Mineral Water, Rusty Metal Pipe

Single Cask 2020. Destilováno na Jamajce v palírnách Clarendon a Long Pond. Tropické zrání Clarendon 11,5 roku v sudech po bourbonu, Long Pond 11 let taky v sudech po bourbonu. V Evropě pak Clarendon zrál rok v sudu po koňaku, Long Pond to samé, ale rok a půl. Poté ještě 6 měsíců v sudech po sauternes. Ve výsledku tedy 13 let zrání.
Alkohol: 46,8 %
Původ: Jamajka/Francie
Aroma: Med, zralé ovoce, květy, vosk, piliny, vanilka, větrovost. (84 b)
Chuť: Čerstvé dřevo, dřevitost, mírně ovocnost, jinak jen ostrost a hlavně, zejména v dochuti, nepříjemná hořkost. To je můj první Plantation, který je vyloženě v chuti hnusný. (65 b)
Body: 74/100
Shrnutí: Decový vzorek stačil na několik ochutnávek, a bylo ho, vzhledem k tomu, jak mi tohle plnění nesedlo, až až. Mám asi 60 ochutnaných rumů od téhle značky, a tohle je pro mě s přehledem to nejhorší.

Rhum très intéressant, à approfondir en dégustation.

Opět vůně a chuť zapařené trávy, tentokrát v láhvi od Plantation. I přez malinko vyšší procento alkoholu, jemný Jamajský rum.

Fermentace: Clarendon (4-6dní), Long Pond (2 týdny)
Těkavé látky: 358 g/hlAA
Estery: 87 g/hlAA
Doslazování: 0 g/l

Rum zraje 11,5 roku v tropech v sudech po bourbonu, 1 rok kontinentálního zrání v sudech po koňaku a 6 měsíců v 225l sudech po víně Sauternes.

Aroma: Léky a lepidlo. Tyto anorganické složky jsou podbarvené mízou, medem a jablky
Chuť: Medově sladké, po chvíli hořkne
Dozvuk: Med, do rozinek, travnatost a hodně hořkého dřeva, které dominuje.
Sladkost: 2/3
Ochutnán vzorek
Ač nedoslazovaný, působí opačným dojmem. V chuti je velmi sladký. Celkově se jedná o klasickou Jamajku lehčího rázu, kterou sráží hořký dozvuk. Ze tří Jamajek SC 2020 je tato nejslabší.

Only mildly funky to the nose, less so than the other Long Pond/Clarendon concoctions from Plantation, and quite light in color, this Single Cask doesn't get remarkable until poured and splashed gently with water.

At that point, when sipped, this blend is velvety, soft, smooth, and pastry-like while remaining fairly dry. It's moderately complex, with light spice, sugar-coated fruit, and even some almond. For me, this demands a slow sip, retrohale, and gradual savor. It's a wonderful rum, and something rather special.