Planteray Fiji 2004 20 Year Umeshu Finish Single Cask Rum
$64.50
We are chuffed to bits to welcome this unique and unforgettable (nearly) exclusive single cask bottling from Planteray, a Fijian beauty with enchantment to spare. We say nearly exclusive, because we are also excited to be splitting the barrel with our friends at Smuggler's Cove, San Francisco's Rum and Tiki mecca, and for many of us - the cradle of our rum education, in no small part thanks to Martin and Rebecca Cate's influential tome on the subject, not to mention the many delicious and boozy nights we've spent at the bar (and occasionally on the floor). So while we unfortunately can't offer samples in the shop, if you want to try the rum first and you live in the Bay Area, its a great excuse to spend an evening at the Cove (have them make you an old fashioned with this rum - you won't regret it).
The rum itself is a 20 year Fijian rum from Rum Co. of Fiji, who have been producing rum since 1980 in beautiful Lautoka. It was distilled on their column still and aged for 17 years at the distillery, soaking up the tropical heat and humidity. It was then, in Planteray style, moved to France to age at the Chateau de Bonbonnet in Cognac casks for 2 additional years, giving it a gentle, fruity, lovely sheen. But that's only 19 years, for those of you with a sharp mind for math keeping track - it is the final year that really tickled our fancy to its limit. After the cognac aging, the rum was transferred again to casks that had previously held Japanese Umeshu (plum) liqueur, a unique aging cask if ever there was one.
The result is a richly aged, very mature rum, with unexpectedly bright fruit notes from both the Cognac and Umeshu cask. On the nose, you are struck with kiwi, fruit jam, plum (go figure), burnt sugar, and toasted coconut. The palate is where the lovely tug of war between old old rum and bright fruits really plays out, with the jammy fruit, the snappy kiwi, and lychee finally giving in to the mature notes of old oak, brown sugar, vanilla cream, and rich pastry. After a hint of tannin in the midpalate, the finish kicks in with an unexpected rush of bright fruits again - tart citrus, orange peel, apple skin, and ripe banana all dance against a faint spicy backdrop of black pepper and allspice. It is a truly old rum, despite what the Umeshu fruitiness wants you to believe, and it opens up significantly over a long time in the glass. What may be a tug of war upon pouring is a much more delicate tapestry of flavor after 15 minutes in the glass. Bottled at 48.5% abv, with 0 dosage.