Plantation XO 20th Anniversary is the flagship expression from Maison Ferrand's acclaimed Plantation range, and it represents something genuinely unusual in the rum world: a spirit that has lived two lives. Distilled in Barbados using both pot and column stills, the rum is aged for up to twenty years in ex-bourbon barrels under the Caribbean sun before making the journey to France, where it rests for a further period in small French oak Cognac casks at the Château de Bonbonnet.
This double ageing process — tropical followed by continental — is Plantation's signature technique, and XO 20th Anniversary is its finest expression. The tropical ageing delivers intensity and concentration, while the cooler French climate and Cognac wood add refinement and a distinctive vinous quality.
On the Nose
The nose is extraordinarily complex. Rich caramel and vanilla form the foundation, but layered above them are notes of dried tropical fruit, coconut, honey, and a beautiful floral quality — almost like orange blossom — that is the fingerprint of the Cognac cask finish. Deeper in the glass, there is dark chocolate, a hint of tobacco, and a warm oakiness that never overwhelms. This is a nose you could spend twenty minutes exploring.
The Palate
On the palate, Plantation XO is velvet. The entry is rich and sweet — butterscotch and vanilla — but the mid-palate introduces a drying complexity: oak tannin, dark chocolate, and a touch of leather. The tropical fruit notes persist throughout, with banana and coconut weaving through the heavier flavours. The Cognac cask influence is most apparent in the texture, which is silky and almost creamy, and in a subtle grapey quality that distinguishes this from purely bourbon-cask-aged rums.
The Finish
The finish is long and evolving. Sweet vanilla gives way to dry oak, which gives way to a final note of honey and allspice that lingers beautifully. There is genuine development here — the kind of finish that rewards patience and reveals new facets each time you return to the glass.
This is a rum that demands to be drunk neat, perhaps with a single drop of water to open up those Cognac cask nuances. It is among the finest aged rums in the world at its price point, and a worthy celebration of two decades of Plantation's remarkable craft.
