Planteray O.F.T.D. Rum

Purchased: 1-liter bottle
Store: Total Wine & More
Price: $35.99
Buy Again: I’m on my second bottle! So, yes!
Rating: 95

I bought this bottle completely blind when I first tried it. I was in my local Total Wine searching for overproof rum and saw this bottle.

I love the backstory on the naming of this rum. Apparently the seven blenders were sitting around a table tasting different blends – and having difficulty on choosing one – when one of them tasted this blend and said, “Oh fuck! That’s delicious!” Because they didn’t think the name would go over well in the market, they called it “Old Fashioned Traditional Dark.” But having gone through one bottle and working on my second, I’ll stick with the original name whether the story behind it is true or not.

The reason is that my first reaction to this rum – and well before I learned its backstory – was the same as the blender, “Oh fuck!” At 69% ABV it was hot, especially going down. But the aromas and flavors completely took me by surprise. At that high of an alcohol content, I was expecting the aroma to be medicinal. I could smell the strength of the alcohol, but that was nicely covered up by the esters emanating from the surface. And tasting it, yeah, it was hot as I mentioned, but again the esters and the deep, rich flavors made me forget that this rum was as strong as it was, at least for a little while until I swallowed it. 🙂

What I Smell

Right off the bat, I get baked bananas, brown sugar, clove, allspice, and cinnamon. Hogo from the Jamaica rum is present but not nearly as prominent as pure Jamaican rum – and that’s to be expected. But it smells divine nonetheless.

What I Taste

At this high alcohol content, it can be a challenge to do a tasting. But as with other super-high alcohol content spirits, I drink it by doing what I call nips. That is, I touch the spirit to my lips and let just a little flow into my mouth – maybe a few drops. It’s not even a sip. Then I hold it under my tongue for a few seconds to let it mix with my saliva. After that, it’s swish time!

Right off the bat, it’s caramel, vanilla, molasses, more of those baking spices, overripe banana, pineapple, with a long, dry finish filled dried fruit, baking spices, and cacao. Others have tasted espresso, but I didn’t get that.

How I Like to Drink It

Amazingly enough, I often drink this neat. But I drink it in 3/4-ounce pours instead of a full shot. Taking nips, that pour will last me well over an hour. And I love smoking a cigar with this! This also makes a great Mai Tai! When I want a little less hogo, I turn to this instead of my standard Smith & Cross for the overproof portion of the alcohol.

Overall Impression

This rum falls into the “I can’t believe it’s this good for this price” category. I know that price shouldn’t really factor into the equation, but getting a liter of this very fine rum for thirty-six bucks is pretty killer. But price aside, this is a fantastic rum that will always be on my shelf.

Cigar Pairing

Neat, I like to pair this with a dark maduro or oscuro or very bold cigar that will hold up against the strength of the alcohol. So, an LFD Air Bender, LFD DL-xxx, Padron 1964 Maduro, anything from Paul Stulac, AJ San Lotano, LCA Super Sea Monkeys, DTT Umbagog or Umbagog Bronzeback.

In a cocktail like a Mai Tai or Ti’ Punch where citrus is the main theme, I’d pair this with a brighter cigar. Habano or Corojo wrappers come to mind, so Tatuaje 7th (Habano or Corojo), Curivari BV Pralines, LGC 8th Street, Don Emmanuel Annunaki.