So, for Halloween I was in Connecticut, and that’s where I got the Gosling’s Gold Seal. That liquor store also had two Planteray rums: a cheap generic Barbados 5Yr for $23, and a Sealander without a price tag. I knew that it generally goes for about $35-$40, so I asked if they could price check it. They said it wasn’t in the system and really shouldn’t even be for sale. However, I asked the manager if I could just buy it for the same price as the Barbados 5Yr, and they said yes! So I got a bit of a steal on this one.

Note: Aged in their respective countries (distilled at WIRD, Barbados and aged 8 years, distilled in Saint Aubin, Mauritius and unaged, and distilled at Rum Co. Of Fiji, Fiji and aged 5 years) in ex-bourbon oak casks, then finished for 1 year in France in Ferrand casks.

Review

Smell

It’s a very sweet smell of brown sugar and prunes. The nose is rather light.

Taste

This rum tastes completely unique, like nothing I have had before. I haven’t had rum from Mauritius nor Fiji, so it’s hard for me to tell the components of this blend, but the first thing that I get is, of course, that this blend is quite sweet. There’s also a spicyness to it, both because the rum itself is moderately harsh, and there’s a cinnamon cardamom pie spice flavor, a vanilla oak profile from the aging, and an herbal green apple funk that I believe is the unaged cane juice. All together, it literally joins to form what tastes like an apple pie. Like, it’s almost uncanny how much it tastes like an apple pie, and this rum isn’t even spiced!

Verdict 6.5/10

I thought about whether this rum deserves a 7/10, and maybe I am being a bit harsh, but it’s a bit of a weird one. It’s a bit rough drinking for being so sweet and merely 40%, and it doesn’t have a very good body to it, or any real depth and complexity. But, the flavors are very interesting. It actually tastes like an apple pie cocktail. It’s an enjoyable sip, to just turn your brain off and enjoy something sweet and fun. I might even try making a hot buttered rum from this because it’s just so holidays-flavored. If you’re one of those people who wishes that your Starbucks pumpkin-spiced venti frappa-crappa-macchiato crunch were 40% ABV, this is the rum for you.

If my hot buttered rum turns out fantastic with this rum, I’ll edit the score to a 7/10.