Planteray Trinidad 2009 (Scarlett Ibis)

The aroma is unusual and floral, with notes of maple syrup and mild sweetbread from the bottle. Taste: It's too potent, resulting in a strong, spicy alcohol sting. There's some funk and ripe tropical fruit notes in the aftertaste. It definitely needs to be mixed in a cocktail to mellow its harshness. I've experienced this before. After adding a fair amount of water (reluctantly), I can smell honey. The alcohol heat is reduced, and the flavor becomes more like overripe tropical fruit. Ratings are based on drinking it neat.

At first, it's quite spicy, peppery, and hot. Adding a generous amount of water calms it and brings out notes of vanilla, honey, mint, coffee, cinnamon, and gentian root. A long, spicy finish. This rum is tough for me to enjoy without dilution.