Planteray O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum

The aroma is mild, with sweet toffee and banana notes, but the palate is primarily harsh, tart, and bitter. It burns intensely, and it's quite challenging to discern any deeper flavors at this proof. The alcohol provides warmth but doesn't impart the pleasant sweetness typically found in high-proof spirits. Frankly, it's a significant challenge to drink. With water added, it becomes less harsh but still tastes predominantly alcoholic. With more water, the drink becomes more balanced, but it lacks substantial flavor. It's mostly bitter and tannic. Drinking this is truly quite difficult. It's very drying and excessively spicy, though there are some hints of tropical fruits and banana, along with an astringent flavor that might be raspberries. The effervescence is very prominent. Vanilla is present but is overwhelmed by everything else. It's not sweet at all. This seems suitable as a mixer for a potent drink, but otherwise, it's more of an interesting experience than a worthwhile beverage. At least there are no unpleasant bready notes. When significantly diluted, some more pleasant flavors emerge. It remains dry, which I appreciate, but the spice subsides somewhat, and more banana and molasses notes appear. The richness with added water is actually quite good. Since adding water is always an option, I feel comfortable increasing the score for this drink by several points. About 6 points. The nose isn't as smoky as anticipated. It does smell like alcohol, despite not being 69%. There's a good amount of fruit in the aroma, and some spice and smoke do emerge. There's actually quite a lot of fruit presence. The palate is surprisingly smooth at first, although some burn does intrude and leaves the tongue feeling somewhat like wet wipes. There's a ton of enjoyable tropical fruit, though. It's not quite as viscous as Smith and Cross, and it lacks the same complexity or richness. Still, there's plenty of flavor. I do wish for more effervescence, however. The balance is better here. There's a hint of Everclear, but nothing excessive. The sweet tropical fruits – including banana, papaya, mango, and a numbing orange zest sensation – are quite nice and prevent this drink from being dominated by the alcohol. I slightly prefer Smith and Cross for its funkiness, but this is quite good in terms of general dark rum characteristics. It's definitely a strong mixer. The finish features increased wood and Everclear notes, with a hint of beef jerky. It's a decent sipper overall. I would really like to own a bottle of this and a bottle of Smith and Cross. Between the two, I would definitely prefer to sip the Smith and Cross. This has too much alcohol for sipping. Water does tame it, though. The flavors are similar, but the fruit is a bit sweeter and lingers longer. That bitter Everclear note unfortunately persists even with water added (though perhaps my palate is compromised after Smith and Cross and this). That prevents this from improving by another point. It's quite good, especially for the price. Still. There's that bit of an Everclear aftertaste that I dislike. I personally prefer Smith and Cross. Others might disagree. This is very good, though, and is indeed sippable.

Review of the entire bottle: starting neat in a Glencairn… we'll see how it ends. On ice? On the floor? In trouble? I genuinely appreciate the story and the label. Whether it's manufactured or not, the idea of Gabriel inviting these cocktail/rum experts to help him create a new blend (or perhaps doing so casually during a social gathering) feels very authentic, and these individuals possess a passion for their craft and, notably, a sense of humor, even when financial stakes are involved, which I highly respect. It's definitely colored, as is common for dark rum, but the deep brown color is appealing and sets high expectations for your taste buds… and those expectations are met, as this spirit is essentially the top executive at the loan office. Nothing groundbreaking to report, but your nose is hit with molasses, pineapple skin, rosewater, and fusel notes before the ethanol sting develops, masking other aromas, and eventually forcing you to pull away from the nosing after 3-5 seconds. Standard oak vanillas and butterscotch are smoothly integrated with the tropical fruit, floral notes, and hogo. It's really pleasant and doesn't smell anywhere near 138 proof. The palate begins with typical high-ester Jamaican characteristics – a sweet blast of ripe tropical fruit, followed by Guyanan molasses, then whoooa! The proof quickly intensifies and stings the sides of your tongue. Again, 3-5 seconds, maximum. Extremely concentrated and sweet. Molasses and oak are the primary influences, but the funky fruit and petrol fumes are blaring loudly. As expected, the finish lasts a very long time, making your cheeks and tongue tingle with oaky tannins and sugars, while allspice berries stimulate saliva production and evoke images of holidays and beach bonfires simultaneously. This is not a flawless rum. If it were brought down to a more common proof, several imperfections would become apparent. However, at a price point of $25-$30 per liter, it's nearly perfect and an outstanding example of what rum is all about. I've used this liter in half-ounce floats and split-rum bases while exploring the tiki cocktail menu, and it consistently delivers abundant flavor and exceptional value. It's not a substitute for 151-proof demerara rum, simply a fantastic bottle that stands on its own merits. Highly recommended. (Price adjusted for a 750ml bottle basis)

I never thought I'd own something like this, until I learned more and realized that Bacardi 151 had spoiled navy and overproof rum for many. The color resembles an 8-10 year aged rum, with a slight blood-red hue, mirroring the front of the bottle label. The ethanol is potent, but I can still detect the aroma, which includes caramelized sugar, damp earth, and some lingering hogo notes. Banana and even some bread-like scents are also present. Unsurprisingly, the initial taste is dominated by heat. After a few sips to adjust, fairly strong oak flavors become apparent. This lasts longer than anticipated, leading me to believe this might be the extent of the profile, but then the proof asserts itself, washing over the mouth and throat with a fierce burn. If you can still discern the taste, you'll experience notes of caramelized sugar, unripe banana, and, most surprisingly, a potent cherry flavor. Beyond the heat, the finish concludes with the cherry note. Okay, so I definitely have no regrets. This is definitive proof that barrel strength or simply higher proof rums offer a much broader flavor spectrum than their diluted counterparts. While it would be suitable for large punch bowls or typical tiki cups, I can also easily envision it significantly enhancing standard cocktails with a huge (albeit boozy) boost.

Nose - molasses, honey, apple, sweet floral notes, earthy mint, clove, pineapple, cinnamon toast, vanilla, butterscotch, burnt brown sugar, orange, noticeable to significant ethanol burn. Taste - sweet molasses, cola, honey, ginger, black pepper, spearmint, cardamom, clove, banana, chocolate, pineapple, dry oak, brown sugar, burnt toast, vanilla, orange zest, powdered sugar, sweet floral notes, noticeable to significant alcohol bite, finishing medium long with molasses, honey, baking spice, dry oak, and mint flavors. This is the first of six Plantation bottles I will be reviewing over the next few days. I decided to start with this one, as I had unintentionally consumed several high-proof rums recently. Compared to the previous spirit, this tastes quite mild at 138 proof. The aroma is much less intense than the previous one. Molasses, honey, and minty, floral scents are present on the nose. The palate is similarly fresher and sweeter. There are more honey, cola-like molasses, and earthy mint flavors. This is definitely more drinkable than the previous spirit, but I wouldn't call it a spirit for sipping. It tastes more like a superior, high-proof version of a particular aged rum, with prominent floral and honey notes. And I think I prefer the darker, richer character of the previous spirit; I just wish it wasn't quite so intense. Each of the four high-proof spirits I tried are solid and will likely be a regular on my shelf. However, they are not particularly good for drinking neat, and my ratings reflect that. This came closer to a 3.5 than the others, but I cannot quite reach that score.

Last night, I conducted a three-way comparison with Lemonhart 151 (current release), Hamilton 151, and Plantation OFTD, tasting them neat from a Glencairn. The main takeaway is that you can't go wrong with any of the three. On the nose, OFTD initially presented traditional Demerara scents, but less so than the other two. Lemonhart immediately offered an espresso and flan explosion. Returning to the OFTD after some time revealed Vietnamese coffee, with light roast, milk, sugar, and condensed milk. Hamilton was more straightforward Demerara and brown sugar with deep caramel but lacked the coffee notes. I could have spent all night just smelling these. In terms of taste, Lemonhart had incredibly delicious, rich, creamy, dark, sweet notes with premium espresso undertones. Hamilton was less intense, focusing more on burnt dark sugar, caramel, some dark fruit, and abundant molasses. OFTD is similar to Hamilton but with more fruitiness, a hint of coffee, and some barrel bitterness that distinguishes it. Although it may not be significant, I favored the Lemonhart 151 the most.

This rum is among the most affordable in my collection, yet it competes with pricier bottles. The scent immediately presents with pretzels (more precisely, burnt paper and saltiness, though I suspect fewer people would connect with that description), along with underlying notes of molasses, banana, tangerine, and cinnamon. The initial taste brings banana, molasses, tangerine, vanilla, pretzel, pineapple, and allspice. It then evolves into a rich, molasses-heavy caramel coffee with lingering banana, tangerine, and toasted undertones. This is followed by a lengthy finish of molasses, cloves, orange zest, banana, caramel, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee. When the description states it's rich, it truly delivers. The complexity is astounding given the price I've paid for multiple bottles. The texture is also very oily, as I'd anticipate from a high-end, fully pot-distilled spirit. I can't emphasize enough how well this would perform in a blind comparison against premium spirits.