I always mention how, at room parties, I take what I can get, and what I can get is usually cheap generic rum. Well, one of my friends surprised me in Pittsburgh, when he had several bottles of Planteray in his kitchen.

All I know about rum comes from my participation in this sub over the past 2 months or so, and so all I know about Planteray is that it’s controversial due to their practices of adding sugar to rum. However, I also know that they stay within the 20g/L limit that some countries enforce by law, and I also know that a lot of other rums have also been dosing with sugar up to or even beyond the legal limit, and they just don’t disclose it the way that Planteray does. I understand the controversy, and I will also disclose that I suspect that it may have an effect on my rating, as I enjoy a sweeter product. It enhances the fruity characteristics, and I have found over the course of my reviews that I favor a sweeter, younger, fruitier rum over a dryer, older, more oaked rum, despite the latter being more expensive and generally considered a smoother, better “sipping” rum.

That being said, no one said that reviews are completely unbiased.

Review

Smell

It has a mild and pleasant smell of vanilla and oak with maybe a hint of caramel and molasses. When I close my eyes and smell it, it really feels like I am smelling a rum cake.

Taste

It’s sweet and fruity. I wouldn’t say fruity like Jamaican funk, but more like vanilla with an apricot aftertaste. Overall the rum is mellow and pleasant, and I feel like it’s quite sippable. There’s an oak taste to it, but it’s not strong nor bitter (I know that a bit of sweetness tends to compensate for bitterness).

With coke, it’s dangerous! It’s tasty and I can barely feel the booze even though it’s 2:1, and the flavor of the rum really shines. This might take over from the spiced rums as my ideal “rum and coke” rum.

Verdict 5.5/10

(Edited from 7/10 on 12/18/25)

This rum is solid. It’s not the most flavorful or interesting rum I’ve ever had, but it’s got something going for it, and the fact that it’s not too oaky, not bitter, not very harsh on the alcohol taste… it’s just an excellent mixer rum. I give it a 7/10. It might be a good rum to recommend to my friends who drink Kraken, as a higher quality alternative.

December 18, 2025 Update:

Not much more to add, I am just amending the score down to a 5.5 to reflect my new scoring system.