Plantation 5 Years

Plantation 5, from the French house Maison Ferrand, now Planteray, is a Barbados rum given the brand's signature double ageing: matured first in the tropics, then re-aged in ex-cognac casks in the Charente. That second cask is where much of the soft, fruity, vanilla and coconut character comes from, layered over a pot and column still Bajan base.

At 40% it drinks light, sweet and approachable, with vanilla, caramel and coconut and a gently woody finish. Ferrand uses dosage, a measured sugar addition it discloses openly, so this is a lightly sweetened rum rather than a dry Bajan in the Foursquare mould; it is closer in spirit to the softer, rounded school of rum. Taken that way it is an undemanding, low-risk sipper and a pleasant cocktail base, fruity and smooth, for anyone who enjoys a gentler, sweeter style.