Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum

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Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum 

At the 2016 Tales of the Cocktail, the Plantation Rum company unveiled Plantation O.F.T.D. (PC translation: Old Fashioned Traditional Dark) “Overproof ”. For this project Alexandre Gabriel, Master Blender for Plantation Rum, brought together six of the rum industry’s most influential authors and mixologist. They were Jeff “Beachbum” Berry of Latitude 29, Martin Cate of Smuggler’s Cove, Paul McFadyen from Trailer Happiness, Paul McGee from Lost Lake, Scotty Schuder from Dirty Dick, and Dave Wondrich, historian and author. Over a series of private tastings they created a blend of rums from Barbados, Guyana and Trinidad that they felt were perfect for Tiki cocktails or as a sipper for those who enjoyed the bold flavor profile. This rum is bottled at 69% abv and is replacing their Original Dark Overproof rum in the market.

Appearance

In the bottle, the color of the rum holds a mahogany color with rose highlights. In the glass the dominant mahogany color of the liquid holds, but the highlights lighten briefly after the pour, taking on a dark amber color. After a couple of minutes the liquid darkens and matches the rum in the bottle. Agitating the liquid creates a thick band with fast moving legs that evaporates quickly leaving a ring of residue around the glass.

The label of this rum is loaded with details and pictures of the creators, the story of the rum and even tastings notes.

Nose

After the rum settled in the glass I gently took in the aroma. Careful to not breathe too deeply and have the alcohol fumes overwhelm my sense of smell. I detected notes of tropical fruit- mandarin orange and banana, French roast coffee, charred oak, plum wine and smoky molasses.

Palate

Considering the proof of the rum, I was surprised at how flavor forward it was. The first sip revealed a rush of toffee and raisins, dark vanilla cream, and blend of spices before the alcohol of the rum enveloped the tongue. Additional sips revealed charred oak, cocoa, iron, wet leather, pencil shavings, cooked pineapple and banana. The spice flavors revealed were: nutmeg, hot cinnamon (think fireball candy) and clove. The clove note in particular bridges into a lingering finish along with caramel, cocoa and plum flavors.

Review

After its big reveal at the 2016 Tales of the Cocktail, this rum hit the market with a lot of fanfare and hype. How could it not with all of the big names involved with it? I have seen it introduced into several cocktails and enjoyed it as an ingredient in some of them and found the flavor easily overwhelmed the poorly balanced ones. There are a few flavors in this spirit that just do not play well with certain ingredients and instead of being combative it just overwhelms and conquers them. Over diluting this rum in a cocktail is also going to lead to a poor drink as some of the flavors really flatten out. Use with care and make sure your other ingredients hold up to the robustness of the spirit. While I will miss the Original Dark blend for use in some of my cocktails, the O.F.T.D. is a solid replacement. At this time this rum should be available in all states and countries that sell Plantation products. Visit their website or social media for more information about their product lines.

-Rum Review by Mr. Paul Senft-  

My name is Paul Senft - Rum Reviewer, Tasting host, Judge and Writer. My exploration of Rums began by learning to craft Tiki cocktails for friends. I quickly learned that not all rums are created equally and that the uniqueness of the spirit can be as varied as the locales they are from. This inspired me to travel with my wife around the Caribbean, Central America, and United States visiting distilleries and learning about how each one creates their rums. I have also had the pleasure of learning from bar tenders, brand ambassadors, and other enthusiasts from around the world; each one providing their own unique point of view, adding another chapter to the modern story of rum. The desire to share this information led me to create www.RumJourney.com where I share my experiences and reviews in the hopes that I would inspire others in their own explorations. It is my wish in the pages of “Got Rum?” to be your host and provide you with my impressions of rums available in the world market. Hopefully my tasting notes will inspire you to tr y the rums and make your own opinions. The world is full of good rums and the journey is always best experienced with others.