It's all about color.
Now if you're like us, rum tasting is a complete experience. For us that means preparing the environment, soft music, soft lighting, an attractive pitcher of cold water and glasses. The ceremony includes bringing out the bottle, perhaps holding and reading it. And then - finally - comes the first pour, a nice 3/4 ounce.
That when color comes in.
The first pour aroma, if any, begins to waft. Typically, we'll pick up the glass and hold it to the light, revel or not in its brilliance (or lack thereof), note the color and legs.
That's when the red, er orange flag went up.
Mind you we love the Plantation Barbados rums and have very favorably reviewed the 1993 and 1995 bottlings. Naturally, with a name like "Grande Reserve" we were expecting a special treat. But something about that color...
Color in rums are determined by two main factors: first, the barrel aging and second, the legal use of trace caramel to adjust it. Most rum is aged in first use oak bourbon barrels. These tend to impart a gold color, which slowly deepens in time to an amber, even deep mahogany. Sherry barrels may add just the slightest tinge of a red tone.
Caramel is permitted by law to be added in trace amount to correct color - sadly, this allowance is often exceeded to make rums into deep mahogany, sometimes even bordering on blackness. What you think of as a "dark rum" is not the result of aging but of extreme coloring via caramel and/or molasses. All quite illegal, of course.
After all it's rum, and "it's all good", nicht vahr?
With Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve Rum, something didn't seem right. This is actually a pretty young rum with an unexpected pretty dark color that has orange tones!? Honestly, I can't remember any of our other 100+ rums that present this way. Was something amiss? The reviews...
Sue Sea:
Me:Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve Rum comes in a nice classic pinched neck bottle with a faux aged label featuring a plantation, sailing ships, a bay and distant mountains. The bottle is encased in a hand tied raffia (palm) twine netting. Very classic and attractive. But something felt wrong with the color.
Aromawise the Grande Reserve presented a very different, almost perfumey, spiced apple. The early palate opened sweet, light and smooth, followed a quick growing and hot candied effect in the mid palate. The Grande Reserve ended with a hot clove finish that led to a lingering hot white pepper and candy aftertaste that practically demanded a mouth clearing drink of cool clear water.
In sum, Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve Rum does not come even close to the other Plantation Barbados offerings. Although it is consistent it is far too simplistic and lip-lickingly sweet. Neither its taste nor its color is appropriate for this younger, less expensive rum.
You can do much better, for less money.
Let me say it straight out: Plantation Barbados Grande Reserve Rum was a disappointment. The rum presents as an amber with an orange overtone, quite unusual. You know how I feel about scary slow legs (as an indicator of added sugar or glycerol). When I tipped and straightened the glass (avoid swirling to check legs), to call the legs "slow" would be an understatement. I could have mowed the lawn before not legs, but widely separated droplets finally appeared. And only them some widely spaced, verrrrrry slow legs.
Whew!
Grande Reserve presented with a light, sweet, candy orange over a background of vanilla and Sue Sea's spiced apple. The early palate was consistent, and lightly sweet - a sensation that persisted through the middle palate. At this point an astringent, candied heat - and I mean heat - emerged for a hot clove candied finish and a syrupy thick, rummy white pepper aftertaste.
Frankly I strongly suspect this rum contains unlabeled sugar at the least. The syrupy candied tones and cloying hot finish are really a bit unnatural. I was not impressed. A simplistic, overdone offering.
I strongly urge buyers to pass by this inferior offering and instead buy the Plantation Barbados offerings designated by year, which are quite superior.
Rating (10 is best): Sue Sea -6, Me - 5.