Plantation XO Barbados 20th Anniversary
Plantation · West Indies Rum Distillery, Barbados
Plantation XO remains one of the most accessible aged rums on the market, offering real complexity at a price that invites regular pouring. The double aging — first in bourbon barrels in Barbados, then in cognac casks in France — creates a layered profile that shifts between island warmth and continental refinement. It's a versatile bottle, equally at home sipped neat or as the backbone of an elevated cocktail.
Nose
Rich and inviting, with caramel, coconut, and dried tropical fruits. Vanilla dominates the background while orange peel and a faint coffee note provide complexity. There's a pleasant oak depth beneath everything.
Palate
Velvety and full, with toffee and chocolate leading into spiced oak and a burst of dried fruit. Banana and coconut emerge as the rum opens up, giving way to a roasted quality that anchors the sweetness.
Finish
Long and warming, with toffee, vanilla, and a last trace of roasted coconut that fades slowly.
- Base Ingredient
- Barbados sugarcane molasses
- Distillation
- Column and pot still blend
- Country
- Barbados
Cocktail Suggestion
Cognac Country Daiquiri — 2 oz Plantation XO · 1 oz fresh lime juice · 0.75 oz demerara syrup · Shake hard with ice, double strain into a chilled coupe, garnish with a lime wheel.
Food Pairing
The rum's caramel, banana, and vanilla notes are a natural echo of the dessert's buttery, rum-flambéed sauce, while the toffee and oak add depth the dish doesn't have on its own.
Maison Ferrand's Alexandre Gabriel selects aged Barbadian rums from the West Indies Rum Distillery and gives them a secondary maturation in small French oak cognac casks at the Château de Bonbonnet in Ars, France.
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