Jamaica 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.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Posted on October 28, 2022October 23, 2022 by Nick

Our first run in with Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum was at the amazing Porco Lounge & Tiki Room in Cleveland, OH. If you haven’t been, you simply must go. The drinks are well crafted, the staff entertaining, and the collection of tiki memorabilia is tops. While Porco’s is amazing, the moment Rum Fire enters our knowledge is when they hosted Shannon Mustipher on her tour promoting her book Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails* (a book that’s a great choice if you want to expand from Smuggler’s Cove!) Shannon loved Rum Fire, and after a taste, it’s not hard to see why.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Country: Jamaica
Still Type: Pot Still
Raw Material: Molasses
Yeast: Wild yeasts
Proof: 126 (63% A.B.V.)

Sight: Clear

Smell: Cotton candy and sugar cane flow forth with a smack of spice and exotic fruit. Overripe mango and papaya come forward with a host of other tropical fruits, including what seems like guava. There’s a grassy vegetal note as well, and a hint of nutty pie. Heat picks up late in the mix.

Sip: The palate is a spicy with a lot of grassy notes and a bit of sugar forward to start, tropical fruits start to come in shortly after. As they approach, the alcohol comes into play, putting everything on blast. The result is something tropical, somewhat sugary, and aggressively hot. Pressing through, there are notes of fermenting bananas, citrus peels, and brown sugar caramelized over an open flame.

Savor: The end is laced with almost smoke that gives way to tobacco, leather, and tropical fruit jam. It lingers with a hint of heat.

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is a burning hunk of tropical flavors. The flavor basically smacks like a mule, and it’s pretty unapologetic about it. As sipping goes, you’d probably need to have a relatively anesthetized palate (which you could acquire by continuing to sip this) to find this a first choice. That said, there’s a ton of flavor here, but maybe not something you’d want to experience directly (like drinking vanilla extract).

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum kicks like a mule. The heat of the alcohol is tempered and gives way to amazing grassy notes laced with fresh melon, coconuts, almonds, and other tropical fruits. The ester of the rum becomes more apparent with the lime, and a pithy citrus note joins in. The mid palate is sweet with a fermented tropical note and almost a hint of bitter chocolate. There vegetal notes give a sort of leather and tobacco finish with a little heat. The overall effect is packed with flavor, but almost explosively so.

In Review – Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum

Hampden Estate Rum Fire Overproof Rum is an aggressive rum designed for complex drinks. While you can use this rum on its own, and even enjoy it on its own, it will be better for most folks in cocktails paired with other rums. What it will offer is fantastic complexity to join in with another rum or two. This will create astounding tiki cocktails, and give you a little extra kick.

* – This link is an affiliate link which may result in us getting a partial commission from the sale. To date (as of publication), we’ve made $8.08 from affiliate links in 2022, while we’ve spent well over $200 on just webhosting. Help us keep the lights on if you like our content, and please use our links!

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Nick

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is a 100% Pot Still Rum, and aims to show off the traditional rum funk of 19th century rum. The rum is an aim to return to the original aspects of Jamaican rum. With access to both “Long Pond” and “Clarendon”, this rum is a dream of Alexandre Gabriel, the master distiller of plantation. So does it work out as dream?

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Rum Info (per Plantation’s site):

Alc./Vol. : 43%
Origin : Jamaica
Distilleries : Clarendon and Long Pond Distilleries
Raw material : Molasses
Fermentation : 1 and 3 weeks
Distillation :
- Clarendon : Pot Still (Vendôme)
- Long Pond : Pot Still (John Dore)
Tropical ageing : 1-3 years in Bourbon casks
Continental ageing : 1 year in Ferrand casks
Volatile Substances : 312 g/hL AA
Esters : 156 g/hL AA
Marks :
- Clarendon : EMB & MLC marks
- Long Pond : VRW & STC^E marks
Classification : Plummer
Dosage : 0 g/L
Cane sugar caramel E150a (% vol) : between 0% and 0.1%

Sight: Amber (Color corrected)

Smell: Spiced banana’s foster laden with rich buttery caramel and funky tropical fruit. Cracked black pepper and green papaya run through with a pop of spice. Creamy mangos and papayas with a hint of berries come in to add more tropical riffs in the character. The nose feels deeper than it should, and has a good richness.

Sip: The ester funk is unapologetic here, coming in from the word go. Interestingly, the dryness is present but keeps it well balanced throughout. The flavors of Jamaican funk come through, but ripe bananas, pineapple, mango, and a subtle grape-berry notes are prevalent. The spice and caramel are in the background, and start to show themselves closer to the ending.

Savor: The ending is spicy and oak laden with the tropical fruit taking background. The result is a bit of a fruity finish that leans spiced and dry as it lingers.

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry has a wonderfully complex nose, and then doesn’t over do the sugar throughout. The flavors are well balanced, if drier, showing off the fruity components while minimizing sweetness. The flavor profile is unapologetically Jamaican, but rounded off by the continental aging. If you like the general character of Jamaican rum this is something you should consider to sip.

In Cocktails

In Grog, Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry shows off it’s tropical fruit in spaces against the lime and sweetness. The subtle touches of sweetness from the dark demerara bring forward more spice and caramelized notes. While it’s smooth, it doesn’t have the most depth.

In Review – Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry

Plantation Xaymaca Special Dry is really a great way to spend a few dollars more and get a very specialized rum. The flavor profile isn’t as aggressive as Appleton. For fans of a bit of the Jamaican funk without the full bore hit, this is a great option for $25. It also has enough balance that you could consider it as your only aged rum, if you’re starting your home bar.

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Posted on May 20, 2022May 11, 2022 by Nick

My first experience with Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum was in a concoction my friend in college called Swamp Water. Essentially, this meant the green-blue colored V8 Splash or a cup of Baja Blast from Taco Bell would be spiked with a fiery amount of Wray & Nephew. The result, predictably was a sweet drink with lots of tropical flavors that had a tendency to get your properly drunk, and quick. While many people probably look at the high proof and think this is a great use of this rum, the fact is there’s a lot of complex and delicious flavors you can use in cocktails here to make your cocktails even better.

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Sight: Clear

Smell: When people talk about Jamaican Rum esters having ‘funk’ this is the smell they’re referring to. The raw funky smell is mixed with sugar cane, bananas, green peppercorns, black pepper, other tropical fruits, and a hint of citrus. There’s a decent hit of alcohol here if you inhale too close or too deeply, but it’s a generally inviting nose.

Sip: The sip is loaded with overripe bananas, mango, pineapple, and a bit of sweet coconut. The fire comes in soon after the start of the sip with plenty of spice, grassy vegetal notes, and (ester) rum funk. The spice notes lean into black pepper and earthy minerality.

Savor: The ending continues with a touch of bitterness, lots of heat, and plenty of dried tropical fruit and grassy notes. A gradual tobacco / leather note develops over time.

If you’re somehow made the decision to purchase Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum to drink it straight and you’re coming from Bacardi Superior, then you’ve either made a mistake or someone has misled you. While it is delicious, it’s definitely a mature, dry, punchy, and hot rum that’s loaded with ester flavors. They’re not exactly subtle or designed to be refined flavors as much as they’re designed to explode outward. Fans of high proof spirits can consider sipping this, but it’s going to do better for most people in cocktails.

In Cocktails

Assuming you’ve purchased Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum to make cocktails, you’re in for a lot of fun. The ester notes hang on and then give you a distinct rum character in a cocktail. In a daiquiri, there’s a burst of black banana notes, and fermented tropical fruits reminiscent of mango or pineapple. There’s a crazy pop of fruity sweetness that comes through mid palate and gives way into drier grassy and wood notes. The body gives amazing weight too. Overall, there’s a lot to like here if you can get past the strength of the ester notes that run throughout.

In Review – Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum

Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum is a great value for the amount of flavor it imparts, but it isn’t the kind of rum we recommend you start with. The esters and proof makes this one challenging for newer drinkers, even though it doesn’t present a price tag that implies that. As such, consider this an expansion to your bar, and you won’t be disappointed about the amazing, if occasionally overwhelming, flavors that it brings.

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Posted on February 4, 2022February 3, 2022 by Nick

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum has London on the label, but is actually produced by Hampden Estate in Jamaica. The rum is produced from two separate pot stills, Wedderburn and Plummer. One is purportedly barely aged, while the other purportedly spends 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels. The result is a “Navy Strength” rum bottled at true proof (114 proof or 57% A.B.V.) that comes in at about $30. While the proof lets you know your gun powder will still go off, is it worth loading your bar with this bottle?

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Sight: A beautiful bright gold with a tinge of orange throughout.

Smell: The proof is expressed from the nose in a way that informs you quite deliberately that you shouldn’t just shove your nose directly in. Heat aside, heavily caramelized bananas, brown sugar, treacle, and various tropical fruits explode out of the nose. The nose is deeply complex for the price, and conveys the esters that one associates with Jamaican rum. Additional fruits begin to emerge, including apples, oranges, pineapples, guava, and fermented banana.

Sip: The body is on the thin side, and is undeniably rather hot. As the rum opens, there’s a song amount of spice that begins to expand including allspice, cinnamon, and cloves with a hint of powdered pepper. Banana and grilled pineapple begin to emerge, and a load of caramel comes through. Touches of molasses and brown sugar come forward as well. Touches of oak are pervasive throughout.

Savor: The ending is warm and spicy. The fruitier notes get tangled in oak, and ultimately the full cadre of esters come out to hang around on a rather long finish.

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum has an amazing nose and delivers quite a bit of flavor for the price. While it would be rough to sip for an extended duration, it displays a ton of flavor. The caramelized notes run throughout, and the fruitiness is inviting. These flavors provide a good base to consider Smith & Cross for cocktails.

In Cocktails

In a daiquiri Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum simply sings. The flavors of banana and grilled pineapple explode outward thanks to the brightness of the lime. The spices kick things into overdrive, adding clove and allspice notes while a subtle caramelized sweetness hangs out in the background. The oak is there, but the finish keeps things balanced as tropical fruit and esters hold their own. As it warms, it even gets a sweet up tick at the end. The result is a complex and layered daiquiri that’s simple to make.

In Review: Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum

Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum is one of our favorites. Not only does it deliver flavor in droves, it also won’t break the bank. Those beginning their rum journey might find this one a little hard to take (thanks to the incredible mix of flavors and high proof), but we encourage you to try it anyways. It can show you the next step in your rum journey without costing you an arm and a leg. In addition, it makes a killer rum for tikis, especially if you want to use it as one of multiple rums in a cocktail. Smith & Cross is worth your time, and you should consider it for one of your next rums.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Posted on January 26, 2021 by Nick

As we mentioned back in our review of Appleton Estate Signature Blend, Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is our preference. The cost differential in Ohio was minimal as of last year, with only a two dollar split between these two rums. There’s very little reason at that price to say no to swapping up. So what makes the reserve blend so much better?

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend

Sight: An orange and caramel hue

Smell: The nose starts off with a waft of warm wood, vanilla, and touches of caramelized sugar. As it persists, some of the spices of the wood begin too emerge against an increasingly ripe menagerie of fruits, ranging from bananas to dates to hints of tropical citrus. The back notes of caramel underlay these like an overripening, and there’s little funk.

Sip: It starts off slightly sweet, but quickly dries with the influence of the spices and oak notes. The aging is apparent here, with a spiced brown sugar sugar that laces with touches of orange, toasted coconut, and banana. A hint of funky ester hides around the edges, and light burn occurs throughout.

Savor: The finish is smooth, yet presently tannic as it finishes. There’s a dryness to the ending, evaporating the sweetness, but leaving a hint of caramelized fruit behind that lingers lightly with that trademark Jamaican funk.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is a more oaked, and spicy version of it’s younger sibling. The result is a more funky and complex rum, although not so much so that you’d break the bank. Interestingly, both of them have some sharp edges, but the overall flavors they bring to the party (especially for mixing) over come any harsh notes. It’s worth noting that it brings a little more funk to the party, and that may also dissuade you one way or the other. While you could enjoy this on it’s own, it’s also not exactly entertaining, even though it is palatable.

In Cocktails

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend is beautiful in cocktails, contributing the character of sweetness without actually adding sweetness. The result is notes of caramel, tropical fruits, and warm spices. It becomes especially apparent in a daiquiri, where the lime sets off the sweeter elements, and then the simple accentuates them. For these reason, we find the reserve blend works fantastic in rum cocktails and crafting new Tiki ideas.

Appleton Estate Reserve Blend Overall

There’s really very little to complain about from a cocktail making standpoint for either the Appleton Estate Reserve Blend or the Appleton Estate Signature Blend. If the price difference is less than $5, it’s really a matter of preference. Stretching beyond $5, you’re probably seeing quickly diminishing returns for the added complexity.

As you may also notice, there has been a packaging flow through change. As a result, we’ve squirrelled away a couple extra bottles, and will be comparing to the new 8 soon!

Plantation 3 Star

Posted on July 7, 2020 by Nick

Before we get into talking about Plantation 3 Star – it might be worth a moment to talk about Plantation. In light of recent events, Maison Ferrand has chosen to change Plantation’s name to Evolve. The name refers to a large farm – but due to the actual history of many of these farms and recent events – Plantation (rightly) chosen to update their name to avoid this regrettable period of history.

While the packaging flow through is no doubt starting soon – in all likelihood you’re going to be looking for Plantation 3 Star. If you’re reading this somewhere down the line – congratulations on getting here from a historical relic or a coincidence of search engine happenstance. The rum is actually rather nice for the price – and much more of why you’re likely here. So let’s dive in.

Plantation 3 Star

Plantation 3 Star is sourced from Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad. The bottle does not list percentages, and has been optimized for cocktail use rather than sipping. The style is that of a lightly aged rum.

Sight: Essentially clear – possibly with a slight tint of gold.

Smell: The nose starts off with a great amount of pineapple and miscellaneous tropical fruit. There’s something candied like about it – almost like a white coconut. There are notes of alcohol and subtle vanilla, banana (both ripe and green), and marzipan that also waft out.

Sip: The palate is soft and round – it begins smoothly with plenty ripe plantain, touches of marzipan, toasted sugar, and subtle tropical fruit notes. A touch of almost argicole like green herb hides at the edge, and a gradual heat builds. There’s also a good amount of sweetness throughout.

Savor: The finish ends up being somewhat sweet as well, and some of the heat lingers. There’s a little less smoothness here, but a pleasant toasted sugar and slightly grassy note that lingers.

Plantation 3 Star is a very clean and dynamic rum. It moves fluidly between sweet notes, green notes, and tropical fruit. The body is relatively smooth and inoffensive – though not inviting. While it has some edges, the flavor more than makes up for it. As a base level white rum, it’s a great choice at under $20.

In Cocktails

Plantation 3 Star does well in cocktails. The tropical flavors lend themselves well to classics like the daiquiri and more complex tiki drinks. The lime plays particularly well with some of the grassy notes. It does tend to fall a little short on more spiced and vanilla forward cocktails, where El Dorado 3 plays somewhat better.

Plantation 3 Star Overall

Overall – Plantation 3 Star plays a counter point to El Dorado 3 in our line up. Where El Dorado 3 plays the sweet, vanilla, cotton candied role in a drink – Plantation 3 Star is playing the role of the more tropical rum. These two points of contrast help explain why one might buy one or the other – or both of these rum. Either way, Plantation 3 is still a great choice of rum if you’re looking for a solid lightly aged rum for your cocktail collection at a great price.

Plantation’s Site: https://www.plantationrum.com/

Appleton Signature Blend

Posted on June 11, 2020June 21, 2020 by Nick

I remember when I was going to try ‘real’ rum. No, no, not that stuff from college – with the wonderful vanilla or cherry flavor that you could suck down and was flavored like some kind of demented cough syrup. The real stuff – something dark, mysterious, and tropical. Something like Appleton Signature Blend.

The shocking thing about going from Cruzen to Appleton is someone pulling the sugar out from under you. It’s not a particularly gradual thing – like going from soda to white zinfandel or a sweet riesling. It’s more like a full stop – sprite to club soda. Don’t let that strike you as a bad thing though, without the cloying sweetness – and thanks to the production methods, you’ll find something much more complex and versatile for cocktail creations.

Appleton Signature Blend

Appleton Signature Blend is a blended Jamaican rum that formally claims no age statement (though the website suggests an average of 4 years). Although there is no mention of added sugar, they claim this to be a medium-sweet rum on Gruppo Campari’s website (whatever this means). Overall, you can typically find it for under $20 for a 750ml, but is it worth the price of admission?

Sight: A pale coppery-golden brown that hints a touch more orange.

Smell: There’s a hint of heat that comes up on the nose, but there are some wonderful candied fruit like aromas that waft out. Hints of banana, molasses, caramel, dark brown sugar, and a bit of vanilla extract all come out. The burn can get aggressive if you hold too long – bordering into acetone and rubbing alcohol.

Sip: On the palate it has a moderate-heavy weight to the body. It opens with a lot of molasses, a hint of oak and cedar, moving into raw vanilla bean, nuts, and a light caramel. Some tropical fruit seems present, but gets a bit muddled in some of the wood and hints of spice. The funk is low here.

Savor: On the ending, the woodiness and astrigency comes forward. It’s not a particularly sweet finish, but not entirely dry either. The flavors that remain are some of banana and molasses notes.

Appleton Signature Blend is an introductory rum at a good price that can function as a workhorse. There’s nothing here that’s particularly offensive, and it manages to bring some good flavor despite the rougher edges. There’s also very little to suggest this rum is overtly sweet or dry – it’s more in line with what you’d expect of a rum. It’s also clearly not the style of rum that’s meant to be sipped – rather it’s almost quintessentially what you might think of when thinking of a rum. With that same flavor in drinks it makes.

In Cocktails

Appleton Signature Blend works well in cocktails thanks to it’s balance between wood, sweetness, and tropical fruit notes. While nothing is particularly distinguished, this helps it play a great role in the background without upstaging other elements. The one shortcoming here is it’s same strength, a lack of complexity. Due to the relative simplicity – you’ll find Appleton Signature Blend works better when used a split base with another more complex rum – such as Pusser’s.

Appleton Signature Overall

Appleton Signature Blend typically runs around $20 or less. At this price point, it’s really not easy to make an argument here against Appleton. If you’re trying to build a bar on a budget – then Appleton Signature Blend offers good value for money that will play well in cocktails ranging from daiquiri’s to tiki drinks to Rum and Cokes.

Other’s Sharing a Dram of Appleton Signature Blend: