Maison Ferrand proprietor and Plantation Rum master blender Alexandre Gabriel has introduced the latest Plantation Rum known as Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum. This blend of rums from Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados is offered at an overproof 69% alcohol by volume.
This rum is tailored for cocktails and punches and was created by a rum collaboration that began when Gabriel called a meeting at Arnaud’s restaurant in New Orleans in the summer of 2015 with six global rum experts to create an overproof rum. They were:
- David Wondrich, spirits and cocktail historian
- Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, proprietor of Latitude 29 in New Orleans
- Martin Cate, proprietor of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco
- Paul McFadyen, proprietor of Trailer Happiness in London
- Paul McGee, proprietor of Lost Lake in Chicago
- Scotty Schuder, proprietor of Dirty Dick in Paris
The crew tasted numerous historical overproof rums and research samples, the company says. They discussed what they would want as an overproof rum to work with. Gabriel captured all the notes, comments, recommendations the group suggested. He took these notes back to his “laboratory” at Chateau de Bonbonnet, the Maison Ferrand estate in France’s Cognac region, where he created several barrel samples.
This labor of rum love came to a finale when Gabriel invited his six friends to Chateau de Bonbonnet in December 2015. There, they gathered and tasted the samples they had talked about and envisioned. They tasted through not only the barrel samples Gabriel created, but also compared them to the historic overproof rums. All unanimously agreed on the final version that is today of Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof Rum.
The acronym O.F.T.D. stands for “Old Fashioned Traditional Dark,” which in this case is rich and flavorful and strong, the company says. On the nose are coffee, orange, plum, jam and truffles. Flavors include caramel cream, chocolate and vanilla notes, cinnamon, raisins, nutmeg, oak and molasses with smoky accents. The finish is of lingering with dark chocolate, clove and caramel.
Plantation O.F.T.D. Overproof is available nationwide in a 1-liter bottle for a suggested retail price of $31.99.
