Planteray Multi-island XO

A very rare score of 5 for me. I'm not a big rum expert but I'm exploring beyond bourbons, scotch, and mezcal.... WOW. Single cask, 46.5% ABV, matured in French wine cask, aged in bourbon then cognac, cask #1, bottle #111. Distilled at West Indies distillery, Long Pond and Clarendon. This is the bottling intended for Ticonderoga club in Atlanta that somehow ended up at Holeman & Finch bottleshop. The aroma is full of vanilla, banana, and heated raw sugar. Pineapple is present but less noticeable. Oak completes the aroma. The palate is full of vanilla, cream, apple, banana, burnt sugars, and caramel. It concludes with a heavy dose of allspice, cinnamon, anise, and clove. Finish: Starts oily but quickly becomes dry with a puckering spice. Phenomenal liquid.

This bottling is from 2017, a special selection for Hi-Time Liquor. Rums from Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica are aged for 10 years in Bourbon casks, followed by 2 years in Cognac casks, and finally 1 year in Peaty Arran Scotch casks. It's part of Plantation’s Single Cask line. The designation is a bit unclear to me. Bottle 266 from cask no. 3 41.7 ABV Nose: Chocolate cream puff, Hershey’s chocolate syrup, banana, hazelnut, barrel spice, coffee liqueur, with hints of mango, vanilla, and cinnamon. Palate: Almost velvety with balanced sweetness, significantly more barrel spice than perceived on the nose, molasses, chocolate, vanilla, a bit of coffee, and a touch of mango and orange. Finish: Medium in length, with the barrel spices lingering through to the end. It's a good one.