We at Buffet Beach’s top secret tasting labs were burning the midnight citronella oil recently working on our soon to be released line of cocktail mixers and made a fantastic discovery. Wanting to use as many different rums in our analysis as we could, we tried one we were unfamiliar with. Our happy surprise was Plantation 3 Star rum. This rum was found to be far superior to your common, well known brands i.e. Bacardi. We all enjoyed its rich flavor and very smooth, long finish. Needless to say the bottle was soon empty so we did some research and found that this was no ordinary mass produced rum. Plantation 3 star is part of a family of fine hand crafted, artisanal  rums. Their web site goes into great detail on the history of the label. They tell how, that in 1989 Alexander Gabriel discovers Maison Ferrand, an old and famous spirit house in the Cognac region of France. Mr. Gabriel, with lots of hard work and skill turned that brand around but soon found a new passion. Switching his attention to rum, he set about perfecting the fruit of the humble sugarcane. Yes we know, you need to take someones self written bio with a grain of salt, but there is no denying that Alexander Gabriel has the skill of a master distiller and in a few short years has made Plantation one of the finest names in premium rum.

Vintage rums and Blended rums

One thing that sets Plantation rum apart from some of its competitors is the range of production. Plantation produces a line of vintage rums each originating from one source. Each label, from Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad etc… takes on the flavors and character of its particular island paradise. Plantations Signature Blended rums really show off the skill of someone who trained in the old world cognac traditions. What might be a top of the line bottle for some producers is  the Bar Classics line for Plantation and includes the Plantation 3 Star rum we enjoyed so much.

Cigar Pairings

We particularly liked how there web site gave a listing of suggested cigar pairings. This was a nice feature and can help decide how to best enjoy two of the Caribbean’s greatest pleasures. We also enjoyed a list of some great drinks make with Plantation rums. Look for some of these recipes on Buffet Beach soon.