Gubba Rum President Steve Gubb (Interview)
Published by The Rumlab ago
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Multiple | Aged | 40% ABV | Pot and Column Still
Plantation XO 20th Anniversary rum is a combination of pot-stilled and column-stilled Barbadian rums that are initially aged in the Caribbean in ex-bourbon casks for 12-20 years. They are then transported to France for a second 12-18 months aging in small French oak casks.
The first bottle of Plantation XO 20th Anniversary was created for the head of Cognac Ferrand Estate Alexandre Gabriel to honor his 20th year running the company. This special gift has resulted in the bottling we see today.
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Posted
5 months ago
When I first opened the bottle I thought it was ok but nothing special but I kept going back to it.
It defiantly got better after opening and now is one of my favorites.
And the bottle is just cool.
Posted
5 months ago
Quite smooth, sweet, many recognizable tastes, one of my all time favorites.
Posted
5 months ago
Amazing rum with a spicy taste. Clear barrel character and a little sweetness. A must have!
he is at a price category, where you already want some kind of perfestion, not in all registers, but in some, but he lecks of this. the rest is quite professional, smooth, fine and even not too standart, so i would give him a second go, but not now.
Posted
5 months ago
Well balanced rum, have long aftertaste oak, leather, vanilla. Good as sipper.
Posted
5 months ago
color -- 7
aroma -- 6
body -- 8
taste -- 9
finish -- 9
spice -- 0
smooth -- 8
price -- 7
Really nice rum
Posted
6 months ago
Smooth and easy drinking rum. Aroma opens slowly, leave it for 5 minutes in your glass to open up. Dark chocolate notes, when tasting after couple of seconds one can feel note of chocolate brownie. Finish is like after dark chocolate drink, slightly sweet but not overwhelming. Very satisfied with this bottle!
Posted
6 months ago
If you’ve had the Plantation Barbados 5 year but want a more refined, aged, oak-ier rum that also makes you and your bottle collection look really fancy then this is the rum for you. Not nearly as sweet at the regular Barbados 5-year from Plantation but it definitely does not disappoint if you are a fan of their rums. Its price is high, yet warranted. There are a lot less expensive bottles out there that will do what this does. It’s the perfect bottle to ask for as a gift and it looks nice too. It also goes really well with cigars, even better than bourbon. But that’s probably because bourbon is garbage compared to rum. Then again, that’s just my opinion
Posted
6 months ago
Good flavor with vanilla and caramel tones. Smooth and sipable.
Because of this rum I started drinking rums. I was lucky I got this one as a gift. It opened my eyes about rums. After few years tasting diferent rums, this one is still the best. But I havent tried more expensive ones yet.
Published by The Rumlab ago
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Thanks to all of my fellow reviewers at Rum Ratings for leading me to this one!
I would compare this incredible rum to some very good progressive rock whereby one hears a little something different with each listening. The flavors change on this fine rum with almost every sip. There is no alcohol burn. It reminds me of a fine cognac, which is to be expected since it underwent final aging in Cognac France. This rum is truly a work of art. Sipping it neat is fantastic. Adding an ice cube brings out even more of the flavors. At $42 per bottle where I live and being readily available, it will be easy to find more when this bottle finally runs out.
After opening it up and testing that first pour, the next thing one should do is take a knife and cut off that stupid straw net surrounding the bottle. I know that it is a major feature of fine Plantation rums, but it really uglifies this gorgeous bottle. And for anyone who attempts to use this as a mixer, call out the pirates to chop their hands off. Aargh!!!
Update: after sitting in the bottle for two months with only a few sips removed, it has lost much of it's original flavor. This is not supposed to happen, so I dock it one point.
Update Dec 14, 2018: I finally bought my second bottle after 11 months, specifically to test it side by side against my first and last bottle of Ron Zacapa XO. Both are very fine rums with complex flavors, but this rum is dominated by fruit flavors from the cognac barrel aging and the Zacapa XO is dominated by the multiple agings in wood barrels. I honestly could not tell which rum cost the most, and this rum is slightly less than half the price of the Zacapa XO. It was also good to see that the price is still $42 almost a year later. It is now my responsibility to consume this new bottle in less than two months now that I know it's shortcomings due to added sugar and oxidation.
Update June 19, 2022: After a very long time, I finally bought another bottle of this rum and only because it came with two exclusive glasses in a gift box at the same price. Well, those glasses are basically cordial glasses on long stems. How appropriate and so fitting!!!! As for the rum, it now has a more peppery taste akin to tequila. Plantation continues to give rums from Barbados a bad name. And after much consideration, I am left with no choice except to lower my initial rating from an 8 to a 5 on this liqueur that pretends to be a rum.