Travellers Plantation Single Cask (The Netherlands) 2009

This Plantation single cask, bottled for the Netherlands, draws column still rum from the Travellers distillery in Belize, distilled in 2009 and bottled at ten years under Maison Ferrand. At a soft 44.1% it sits at the gentler end of single cask releases, an approachable take that adds a cherry wood accent to the familiar Belize profile.

Matured in ex-bourbon with that cherry wood influence, it offers light wood, caramel and vanilla on the nose alongside cherry and a hint of red wine, with chocolate and mild sweetness on the palate. The finish is peppery and gentle with cinnamon and bitter orange. Maison Ferrand is known to use dosage across much of its range, and the rounded, lightly sweet feel here fits that softer house style. It reads as an interesting, easy going sipper to explore what a cherry cask brings rather than a bold statement.