A quintessential Barbadian rum matured first under the Caribbean sun in ex-bourbon barrels and finished in French oak cognac casks for exceptional warmth, balance, and rounded depth.

Tasting Notes & Serving Suggestions

Pours a warm, polished amber with mahogany reflections. The nose is immediately inviting and generous, giving off pastry notes, toasted coconut, and ripe banana backed by soft vanilla fudge, roasted nuts, and a delicate touch of dry baking spice.

On the palate, it delivers a reassuringly round and mellow texture. Sweet molasses, caramelised orchard fruit, and dark chocolate mingle with warm cinnamon, pipe tobacco, and toasted oak tannins. A gentle thread of dried fruit and candied citrus peel keeps the sweetness tempered and upright. The finish is remarkably smooth, easy-going, and persistent, trailing off with lingering cocoa, gentle wood smoke, and sweet vanilla.

Serving Suggestions:

• The Everyday Sip: Outstanding poured neat or over a couple of large ice cubes with an orange peel twist to tease out the French oak and warm spice.

• Classic Rum Old Fashioned: Stir 50ml of Planteray 5 Year Old with a barspoon of sugar syrup and two dashes of Angostura bitters over ice. Strain over fresh ice, garnish with an orange twist, and you have an effortless, pub-quality cocktail at home.

• Highball Serve: Fill a tall glass with cubed ice, pour in 50ml of rum, top up with quality ginger ale or spiced ginger beer, and garnish with a wedge of fresh lime.

• Food Matches: Pairs brilliantly alongside glazed pork belly slices, slow-cooked chilli, dark chocolate brownies, or a generous slice of Dundee cake.

About the Producer

Planteray Rum (formerly known as Plantation) represents the lifelong distilling and blending passion of Alexandre Gabriel, cellar master and head of Maison Ferrand. Known across the spirits trade for an insatiable curiosity and deep respect for ancestral craft, Gabriel partners directly with legendary distilleries across the Caribbean to source, mature, and celebrate regional rum-making heritage.

In Barbados, that bond culminated in Maison Ferrand taking stewardship of the historic West Indies Rum Distillery (WIRD) in Brighton, Black Rock. The name change to Planteray—a tribute to the sugar cane plants ('plante') and the Caribbean sunshine's rays ('ray')—marks an evolution of the brand, while keeping the revered liquid, historic cask-ageing techniques, and independent mindset entirely unchanged.

Production & Maturation

Distillation & Caribbean Ageing:

The spirit begins with Caribbean molasses fermented for several days before distillation at the seaside West Indies Rum Distillery, established in 1893. The liquid is a thoughtful marriage of light, floral rum run through traditional twin-column stills and weighty, aromatic rum pulled from heavy copper pot stills.

Once distilled, the rum spends an initial three to four years ageing on-site in American oak ex-bourbon casks. The fierce Bajan heat and sea breeze accelerate wood interaction and evaporation (the 'angel's share'), developing rich tropical fruit flavours and gentle wood char early in its life.

Continental Double-Ageing:

In keeping with Maison Ferrand's signature 19th-century technique, the rum is shipped across the Atlantic to the Ferrand estate at Château de Bonbonnet in the Cognac region of France. Here, it is transferred into small, seasoned French oak Ferrand cognac casks for an additional one to two years of secondary maturation in cooler cellars. This dual-climate ageing rounds out the edges, adding pastry-like complexity, silky tannins, and a supple finish that distinguishes Planteray from conventional single-climate rums.