And today it’s all about rum again. A rum from the Plantation Single Cask range, to be precise. And to be even more precise: it’s about the Plantation Single Cask El Salvador 2015, a rum about which there are perhaps a few things that need to be clarified in advance. (provided test product)*
El Salvador is… well, not necessarily the first place a purist, transparency-minded (or concerned) rum lover would think of. Not that it is a country that stands out in any particularly negative way, but since the upheavals in the rum market surrounding brands such as Zacapa, the general awareness of added sugar and a more critical view of national maturation regulations, El Salvador is not necessarily one of the countries to whose rum territory critical purists have retreated.
The bottling we are reviewing today should be praised in terms of transparency and general information, as we learn quite clearly that a slight sweetening has been carried out here, which Ferrand likes to call “dosage” (6g/l, which is very little). We also learn that – following distillation in column stills – its age before finishing in France was five years, which it spent in former 200-liter bourbon barrels. In France, it went into former Ferrand cognac barrels (for two years) and then into some – and this is where it gets exciting – Pineau de Charentes Rouge barrels for another year. But what exactly is a Pineau de Charentes Rouge? I have already written an article about this genre here, which basically explains everything relevant.
Tasting notes:
Aroma: Initially clearly recognizable as a matured rum on the nose, typical notes familiar from South American, rather “sweeter” rums are added very quickly: brown sugar, vanilla and caramel notes and a certain barrel component as well as a note reminiscent of cooked pudding. The official tasting note speaks of papaya, which I might not have called it that myself, but I can certainly go along with it.
Taste: This is a rather uncomplicated rum that is easy to drink without thinking too much about it: it has an appealing, not overpowering sweetness (the dosage is noticeable but not overpowering), exotic fruit notes also play a subtle role here, but above all vanilla, caramel and fine spicy notes. I also find associations of lime peel, but these quickly disappear again.
Finish: rather medium-long and with some oak and spices
If you find some classic Cubans too light, “high ester” Jamaicans too powerful and if you want to move a little out of your usual sweet rum bubble, you will find a very appealing rum here that doesn’t require too many leaps or make demands that could lead to misunderstandings. This is an easy-to-drink sipping rum that comes with a little dosage.
The drink I had in mind here was a kind of Old Fashioned that emphasizes the interplay of coffee and orange and seemed just right on a sunny, snowy winter’s day.
Recipe “Rum, Coffee, Winter Sun”:
6 cl Plantation Single Cask El Salvador 2015
1 cl Mr. Black Coffee liqueur
1 bar spoon of Orange Curacao
3 dashes Dr. Sours Mexican Bitter #2 – Café De Olla (alternatively other coffee bitters)
Preparation: The drink is made in a glass on solid ice. Simply add all the ingredients, stir briefly and that’s it.
Garnish: Dried orange wheel
Buying sources: At specialized retailers or online
*The fact that this product has been sent to me free of charge for editorial purposes does not – in any way – imply any influence on the content of this article or my rating. On the contrary, it is always an indispensable condition for me to be able to review without any external influence.
