Barbados - Aged Archives - First Pour Cocktails

Plantation Original Dark Rum

Posted on February 3, 2023January 17, 2023 by Nick

Rum starts lower than bourbon when it comes to cost, so finding reasonable rums for cocktails at under $20 isn’t a huge stretch. We’ve previously expressed our fondness for Plantation’s other offering, Plantation 3 Star. Slightly up the chain from a cost perspective, and with significantly more aging, is their Plantation Original Dark Rum. Sliding in at under $20, is this an addition your bar needs?

Plantation Original Dark Rum

Rum Info – Per Plantation’s Website:

Alc./Vol. : 40%
Origin : Barbados and Jamaica
Raw material : Molasses
Fermentation :
- Barbados : 72 hours
- Jamaica : 2 weeks
Distillation :
- Barbados : Twin Column and Pot Still
- Jamaica : Pot Still (John Dore)
Ageing : Blend of Barbados 1-3 year old, Jamaican Pot Still High Ester 10-15 year old, Finally blended into a wooden vat to age for 3 to 6 months in the southwest of France
Volatile Substances : 160 g/hL AA
Dosage : 15 g/L
Cane sugar caramel E150a (% vol) : Between 0% and 0.1%

Sight: Deep gold (Color Adjusted)

Smell: Caramelized tropical fruit and funky molasses rum ester come out at the start. The nose is sweet with fermenting bananas, overripe pineapple, and a mélange of orange notes. The brown sugar and caramel notes are rather prevalent as well. Possibly a hint of spice and red candies.

Sip: Lightly toasted banana and coconut lead things off in a thinner mouthfeel. The caramel notes come in, and the body is relatively smooth, light, and slightly funky. Touches of tropical fruit, like mango and pineapple hide in the roasted sugar and oak notes. There’s a subtle dryness here.

Savor: The slightly dry nature carries over with a good amount of caramelized sugar notes, for a bitter sweet sort of experience. The aged oak notes and sugar have hints of tropical fruits and rum ester.

Plantation Original Dark Rum is simple and easy going. When individuals think of dark rums, the blend of Jamaican and Barbados here does a good job of accomplishing a balance of each. It isn’t complex, but it also hits the right notes. Which makes it enjoyable, if a bit common in it’s presentation.

In Cocktails

In a Daiquiri the brown sugar notes come out with some of the more earthy, woodsy notes. The tropical fruit flavors come out in full effect with a cotton candy sort of note. The lime balances things and the body is relatively even. Overall, it’s a nice daiquiri that leans into the sugar side of things, but does it with aplomb.

In Review – Plantation Original Dark Rum

Plantation Original Dark Rum is simple, well put together, and easy-going. Is it the most interesting rum you’ll have? No. As a solo sipper, it certainly isn’t something you’d want to slog through. Does it make a lights out cocktail? Not particularly. What it does do is make a solid, well rounded drink that combines both Barbados and Jamaican notes. The key feature here is that it sits under $20. At that price point, this is a no brainer for a bottle to start your home bar with.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Posted on August 19, 2022July 28, 2022 by Nick

Plantation has made some of our favorite rums for making tiki drinks. While their three star is great for Daiquiri’s and other drinks requiring lightly aged rums, you might find yourself wanting something a little more caramelized and complex. Their original dark could be a good option for something aged, but if you want something a little more unique, why not consider their single origin offering? Enter the Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Plantation Barbados is aged 5 years, 3-4 in bourbon barrels in the Caribbean and 1-2 in French oak on the continent. The rum contains added sugar (dosage) at 16 g/L, and caramel color to ensure consistency.

Sight: A 14-18k carat gold.

Smell: French vanilla, caramel, banana, and tropical fruit mix with a touch of rum ester to lead things off. Spices come in with a touch of oak, before giving way to coconut and sweet brown sugar. Dark fruits come in at the end. There is a hint of heat to the nose, but nothing offensive.

Sip: The palate starts of light and slightly sweet. The sweetness builds and brings in toasted marshmallow, French vanilla, caramelized bananas, and baking spices. Cigar box and oak come in, and there’s a touch of toffee, ester, and tropical fruit.

Savor: The ending carries in more vanilla with hints of dried tropical fruits and oak. The finish lingers pleasantly with a bit of tannin for a moderate length of time.

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum is very approachable and easy going. The flavors are sweet and woody, which is helped by the actual subtle sweetness of the rum. The sippable nature has enough complexity that it doesn’t get boring, but enough complexity to keep it interesting. It feels dependable and reliable, despite not feeling exceptionally unique.

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum imparts many of the same caramel and toasted marshmallow notes with lots of oak. It plays a great counterpoint to the lime’s brightness and works well with the simple. In a grog, it also works well, although thanks to the sweet notes, it can stand the extra acidity. We’ve also used Plantation Barbados 5 Year extensively in our tiki drinks, finding it extraordinarily versatile as a base to split with other strong rums like Smith & Cross or Plantation O.F.T.D.

In Review – Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum

Plantation Barbados 5 Year Rum is a really solid rum, and a great choice for an aged addition to a bar. The neutral and aged rum character actually makes it a nice bottle for starting a home bar too. We recommend it as a starting point, or even a dependable shelfer to keep around thanks to it’s price in the low $20 range.

Doorly’s X.O. Rum

Posted on March 2, 2021April 11, 2022 by Nick

If you live in a state-controlled liquor authority state, and you are deeply in love with cocktails and exploring their flavors, you will inevitably find yourself denying your state the revenue they seek to extort from you by driving somewhere else to bring home something you can’t find on your own shelves. Although not available in the great(?) state of Ohio, Doorly’s X.O. Rum is essentially available anywhere you can find a Total Wine, and it’s reasonably priced at only $20 a bottle. So should you take a road trip?

Doorly’s X.O. Rum

This Barbados Rum is matured twice, once in oak, and once in Spanish Oloroso Sherry. It is also a product of the unavailable-in-Ohio Foursquare distillery.

Sight: Lighter than the bottle implies, it’s a sherry oloroso shade with a caramel like allure.

Smell: Beautiful aromas of toasted nuts and warm, sticky caramel waft out – accompanied by brown sugar and notes of vanilla. A subtle baking spice is in the background with touches of toasted oak. An almost date like sweetness pervades the nose and works itself to be the predominate of some dried fruit smells that linger round the edges.

Sip: The body starts out smooth and well rounded, but still very much viscous and not overly thin. Elements of caramel, oak, and nuttiness come thought, but the body’s nose does not lead to a sweet palate. Rather, the complexity of notes of spice, dried fruit, vanilla, and peppery wood are thoroughly savory in nature until toward the end, where things move a hint toward a more balanced point.

Savor: The ending maintains a warm vanilla and nuttiness with hints of barrel aging around the edges. The flavor lingers quite pleasantly, with just a hint of tannic nature.

On its own, we’ve quite enjoyed having Doorly’s X.O. Rum around the house as another option. In some ways, it functions much like a more complex Kirk & Sweeney, leading strongly with vanilla and caramel notes, but better bolstered with elements of cask finishing and nuttiness. The flavor profile is great for considering in Tiki drinks, even if it wouldn’t be my first choice for sipper. That said, it’s smooth enough that it would still be enjoyable on it’s own or over ice.

In Cocktails

Evaluating in a Daiquiri, Doorly’s X.O. Rum stands out beautifully. The caramel and fruity notes are pulled out with subtle spicing that compliments the lime well. The hints of nuttiness come through on the finish, emphasizing the warmth and sweetness. These same elements transition beautifully to Grog. The elements of oak and spice with tropical fruit lead the charge as lime and sweetness round out the edges. Overall, these elements work great exceedingly well and should hold up for other Tiki and cocktailing applications.

Doorly’s X.O. Rum Overall

For the price, Doorly’s X.O. Rum is frankly nothing short of spectacular for the price. If I had a Total Wine in my backyard, I would without a doubt have a bottle of this on hand at all times. If you’re a fan of aged rums, give Doorly’s a try.