Planteray Black Cask (Barbados & Paraguay) 2024

Planteray Black Cask Barbados and Paraguay is the latest in Maison Ferrand's annual Black Cask series, pairing Barbados and Paraguayan rum and bottled at 40% under the brand's new name. As ever with Ferrand the dosage is open, so this is honestly a sweet, easygoing blend rather than a dry sipper, made as an accessible and good-value bottle for casual drinking and mixing.

The profile is tropical and soft, with caramel, dried fruit, pineapple and allspice on the nose, plenty of ripe tropical fruit and vanilla on a round, sweet palate, and a finish of allspice, caramel and burnt sugar. The double column and pot still base, aged in the Ferrand house style, keeps it smooth, while the added sugar carries it firmly to the dessert end. It reads as a clear step up from the brand's flavoured rums for those wanting something a touch more tropical. Easy and undemanding, it suits a party pour or a simple mixed drink.