Planteray Extra Old XO 20th Anniversary

Planteray Extra Old XO is the 20th Anniversary bottling from Maison Ferrand, the Cognac-based house once known as Plantation. The rum is Bajan, aged first in the Caribbean and then given a second maturation in Ferrand cognac casks in Charente, the double-ageing method that defines the range and lends a smooth, oak-and-fruit, faintly cognac-inflected character. It is one of the most decorated rums of its kind.

Barbados sits between the light Spanish school and the heavier English style, a pot and column blend that here leans rounded and dessert-like rather than dry. Expect vanilla, caramel, coconut and soft banana, easy and mild at 40%. Maison Ferrand is open about using dosage, and this bottling carries added sugar held just inside European limits, so it drinks sweeter than an additive-free Bajan. For anyone who enjoys Diplomatico or Zacapa style softness it will feel familiar, with a coconut twist that marks it out as Barbados.