Alcoholes Del Istmo Plantation 2008

This Plantation 2008 is a single-cask Panamanian ron distilled by Alcoholes Del Istmo and selected by Maison Ferrand in France, a house known for double-ageing in cognac casks and for being open about dosage. It is a molasses spirit made on a column still, drawn from one cask at around thirteen and a half years and bottled at a fuller 46.4%.

The nose leans fruity, with vanilla, dried fruit and a sweet, slightly white-wine note, while the palate offers vanilla, fruit, barrel spice and dried fruit and a finish of vanilla, roasted wood and more dried fruit. It is a soft, typically Panamanian profile, rounded and gently sweet in keeping with the bottler, with a silky chocolate note and a slightly sharper edge to close. The single-cask billing does not make it markedly drier or bigger than the house norm, but the higher strength gives it a touch more body, a comfortable and fruit-forward pour.